A prominent water safety organization has commended Keir Starmer for supporting the Mirror’s Save Lives for Sam initiative and urging the Prime Minister to devise an action plan before the summer season.
Following 19 water-related fatalities, including 13 children, during last month’s unprecedented heatwave, the Prime Minister promised government assistance. The Royal Life Saving Society expressed gratitude to the Labour leader for endorsing their cause.
Simmy Akhtar, the charity’s CEO, emphasized the importance of the government’s commitment to preventing future drownings. Akhtar highlighted the significance of the PM’s pledge coinciding with the Royal Life Saving Society UK’s Drowning Prevention Week and urged immediate action before the summer holidays, a period where most drowning incidents occur.
As temperatures are expected to soar this weekend, thousands are anticipated to flock to beaches, with an amber extreme heat warning issued by the Met Office for parts of southern and eastern England and south Wales.
Keir Starmer voiced his support for the Mirror’s water safety campaign, expressing deep concern over the recent fatalities, especially those involving children. At the G7 summit in Evian, France, he pledged to back the campaign and implement further measures to ensure safety, particularly focusing on the tragic loss of young lives.
The Save Lives for Sam campaign seeks urgent government action to prevent the deaths of 33 children annually in open water across the country. The campaign, named after 16-year-old Sam Haycock who tragically drowned in 2021, advocates for measures such as public awareness campaigns, safety equipment implementation, mandatory water survival lessons in schools, the appointment of a Minister for Water Safety, and stricter laws to combat vandalism of safety equipment.
Labour MP Lee Pitcher, a key advocate of the campaign, praised Mr. Starmer’s personal commitment and urged the immediate adoption of Sam’s Law with cross-party and public support, emphasizing the need to save lives promptly.
Pitcher and Simon Haycock, the father of Sam, lobbied at Parliament alongside Vanessa Abbess, who lost her son in a water-related incident. The campaign has garnered support from various organizations and prominent figures within the water safety community.
A recent report by the Royal Lifesaving Society UK revealed that nearly 90% of child drownings could have been prevented, underscoring the urgency for comprehensive safety measures.
