Key water safety message reinforced ahead of Drowning Prevention Week

A key message of water safety is being reinforced ahead of Drowning Prevention Week as part of a major open water safety campaign in the Royal Borough.

Last month, Leisure Focus, which operates the Braywick and Windsor leisure centres, launched its River and Open Water Safety and Drowning Prevention campaign, with the support of the Advertiser.

The campaign, which runs until September, aims to raise awareness of river safety and educate school pupils in the hope of saving lives.

In recent years, a number of young people have lost their lives in the River Thames, Jubilee River and other areas of open water in East Berkshire and South Bucks.

With Drowning Prevention Week taking place from Saturday (June 15) to Saturday, June 22, campaign organisers are reminding people to be mindful and remember the messages of water safety and the resources available.

Jatinder Singh Rakhra, sports inclusion and partnership manager at Leisure Focus, said: “Leisure Focus is here to reinforce swimming and open water messages.

“As an operator we care for each and every single one of our residents and we have a fantastic swimming pool at Windsor and at Braywick and we’re going to be encouraging everybody to come here if they feel like they would like to have a swim, rather than taking risks.”

As part of its campaign, Leisure Focus is offering a 10-minute interactive video,

endorsed by the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK).

The video, which can be found in the Leisure Focus YouTube channel, is designed for primary schools and delivers key water safety messages in an educational and engaging format to be viewed in school classrooms or assemblies.

“We believe this video will be a valuable addition to your school’s safety education program and will significantly contribute to raising awareness among students about the importance of water safety,” Jatinder said.

The campaign also includes free RLSS water safety resources for children aged five to 11, including thematic lessons, posters, animations, and activity sheets.

These resources can be used by teachers in schools and by parents at home with their children.

The water safety message is also being highlighted to secondary school students through a a hard-hitting video by RLSS UK, highlighting the dangers of open water and calling for people to use the ‘Float to Live’ strategy if they ever get into trouble in the water.

Jatinder added: “Let’s keep everybody safe by reinforcing the message.”

To view the 10-minute interactive video, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LY1AlcxwZY&t=331s 

To sign up for or download free water safety resources visit: https://www.rlss.org.uk/Pages/Category/drowning-prevention-week-campaign 

The water safety video for secondary school students can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOuTtfihSuE