The Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK), the Drowning Prevention Charity, is warning UK parents to be aware of the dangers of water around the home as part of its national Spring Clean campaign.

The campaign launches just one-week after the devastating death of two-year-old twins Rhys and Shaun Scott who drowned in a fishpond at their home in Fife on Saturday 12 March.

The Spring Clean awareness campaign, which runs from 21 – 25 March, aims to make parents and anyone in charge of children aware of the dangers of water around the home and garden. It asks people to follow simple advice as spring approaches, and take action.

Di Steer, RLSS UK Chief Executive, said: “To hear the devastating news of the deaths of twins Rhys and Shaun drowning just days before our campaign launched tragically highlighted why we do such campaigns.

“Drowning can happen very quickly and in less than 2cm of water, so filled bath tubs, swimming pools, hot tubs and even buckets of water and sinks can be dangerous. There is a real risk of drowning in the home and garden.

“We would ask people to support the campaign and follow our simple advice to help ensure they and their families stay safe.”

Spring Clean, which is predominantly run online, consists of awareness messages and a series of graphics demonstrating the drowning risk around the home through social media, with the hashtag #SpringClean. People will be encouraged to share the charity’s posts to help save lives.

Messages include:

Always empty your paddling pool
Always cover storage tanks
Always pull out the plug
Always keep the bathroom door shut
Always use self-closing gates, fences and locks around ponds and pools
Always supervise bath time or never leave children unattended at bath time

The campaign is supported by Lucy Herd from Berkshire, who tragically lost her 23-month-old son, Jack, after he drowned in their garden pond in August 2010.

She said: “Since losing Jack, I have been supporting RLSS UK in the delivery of water safety and drowning prevention messages to raise awareness of the dangers of water, particularly in the home. Losing Jack has affected everyone in his life. I don’t want anymore children to drown like Jack did.

“My thoughts are with the family and friends of Rhys and Shaun Scott at this tragic time.

“It only takes a split second for a tragedy to happen. Please, please listen to RLSS UK’s water safety advice to prevent losing anymore precious little lives. I hope by sharing my story and working with the RLSS UK it will reduce the number of people who lose their life to drowning.”

Around 400 people drown in the UK each year and thousands more suffer injury, some life-changing, through near-drowning experiences. Putting these figures into context, one person dies every 20 hours in the UK and drowning is the third highest cause of accidental death of children in the UK.

RLSS UK believes that the majority of drownings are preventable. Make sure that you and your loved-ones are not counted in next year’s drowning figures by following RLSS UK’s water safety advice for around the home.
RLSS UK’s advice:

Empty paddling pools and buckets as soon as they have been used. Always turn paddling pools upside down once empty
Securely cover all water storage tanks and drains
Always pull out the plug
Never leave children unattended at bath time. Empty the bath as soon as possible after use
Always put the bath plug up high and out of reach
Always keep the bathroom door shut
Always use self-closing gates, fences and locks to prevent children from gaining access to pools of water

Check out the RLSS UK Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts to follow and support the campaign and help us spread awareness to save lives.

RLSS UK Director of Volunteer and Community Education, Mike Dunn will be hosting a Q&A on 24 March from 1pm to 3pm to discuss how to keep children safe around the home on Twitter. Check out the Q&A on Twitter @RLSSUK.

 

For more information on the RLSS UK Spring Clean campaign and the safety steps you can take –

Visit our website at rlss.org.uk

Follow us on Twitter – @RLSSUK

Visit our Facebook page – www.facebook.com/RLSSUK