A national society is running a week-long campaign to increase public awareness of the practice of safe outdoor swimming.

The Royal Life-saving Society’s Drowning Prevention week, taking place 19-26 June, aims to inform and educate people on how to make good decisions and stay safe in the water. The campaign is aimed particularly at the 55% of UK parents who, according to RLSS, say they are not confident that their child would know what to do if they fell into open water. The society hopes to equip the public with the skills and knowledge to avoid getting into danger whilst swimming.

Due to the extended closures of public swimming baths over the past year, the society is concerned that children have missed out on swimming lessons, and warns that there could be a spike in drownings this summer if awareness is not spread about safe swimming practices.

In the lead up to this week, the RLSS has published a campaign e-magazine complete with drowning facts, learning resources for all ages such as posters and videos, stories and games, and general water safety advice. The e-magazine is completely free, and the society hopes it will be used by teachers and parents alike to ensure that children are aware of the dangers surrounding open water swimming.

RLSS UK’s Charity Director Lee Heard commented:

RLSS believes that through free accessible education and training, everyone can enjoy water safely and develop an essential life skill. We urge as many parents and carers as possible to get involved with the campaign, use our free online resources, and give children the skills to enjoy a lifetime of fun in the water.

The RLSS have also announced two competitions as part of their campaign, with prizes including dry robes and family tickets to any RLSS aqua park.

The RLSS Drowning Prevention Week e-magazine can be found here.