Tees Active have relaunched their water safety initiative to coincide with National Drowning Prevention week which runs from 15th – 22nd June in a bid to reduce the number of accidents and drowning incidents across the North East and beyond.
Throughout the week the Tees Active aquatics team are visiting a number of schools across the Stockton-on-Tees Borough to present and deliver fun and engaging water safety lessons which includes a range of activities and games. This allows children to understand the dangers of open water and to help equip them with the necessary skills and knowledge to act if they find themselves, or someone they know, in difficulty in water.
The first water safety roadshow took place at Tilery Primary School in Stockton-on-Tees. Take a look at some of the photos of children engaging with the activities.
An average of 307 UK and Irish Citizens lose their life to accidental drowning EVERY YEAR and many more have non-fatal experiences, sometimes suffering life-changing injuries. Tees Active work alongside Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK) to educate and engage with people to enjoy water safely, to keep their families and friends safe and to know what to do in an emergency.
As well as the River Tees winding its way through the borough, Stockton-on-Tees also has more than 30 publicly accessible lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, and large water-filled ditches. And the core message behind the campaign is that the safest way to swim is in a pool manned by trained lifeguards.
Aimee Willmott, Tees Active’s Learn To Swim Ambassador and Olympic swimmer once again backs Tees Active’s Water Safety Superheroes campaign in primary schools across Stockton-on-Tees to highlight the danger of drowning in open water. The campaign features a downloadable, fun and engaging ‘Super Hero’ resource pack that teachers in any school can use to educate children about water safety.
Aimee, a gold medallist in the 2018 Commonwealth Games 400 metres individual medley, also represented Great Britain at the Olympics, World Championships, and European Championships.
Aimee said: “Swimming has been a huge part of my life for as long as I can remember, and I know the joy and health benefits that being in the water can bring.”
“However, I’m also acutely aware of the dangers of swimming unsupervised in open water, such as rivers, lakes, ponds, and the sea, so I applaud Tees Active for taking this creative and proactive approach aimed at saving lives.”
Tees Active Managing Director, Leon Jones, said: “We are pleased to have relaunched our water safety initiative and to have a number of schools sign up to the roadshow lessons. Tees Active is all about improving people’s lives, and educating people to make healthier decisions, as well as providing them with fun, safe places where they can be active in their leisure time. If we can prevent just one incident from happening through education, then it has been worthwhile.”
Find out more about how Tees Active are working with partners to drive positive change in the community.
