Get Safe 4 Summer
Capsized boats, children overboard and dramatic rescues are normally a dreaded sight along Britain’s coastlines but every year the ASA encourages – and helps pools to organise – these kind of scenes in local pools!
Of course the ‘emergencies’ are all carefully planned and carried out as part of the water safety awareness campaign Get Safe 4 Summer – which aims to highlight that swimming is the only sport that can save your life.
Thanks to a partnership between the ASA and the Royal Life Saving Society, children learn all they need to know when visiting coastal and inland waters over the summer holidays, from how they can spot the dangers themselves to how to act in an emergency.
Schools and pool operators are encouraged to hold events in June and July so every event is different but the children learn resuscitation skills, try their hand at activities such as water polo and snorkeling and learn about the key messages of keeping safe with activities such as designing safety posters.
Team GB diver and Olympian Nick Robinson-Baker, said: “Campaigns like Get Safe 4 Summer are vital for promoting water safety messages and it is great to see so many children learning really valuable skills to help them remain safe during the summer.”
While multiple Paralympic medallist Dave Roberts added: “We read in the newspapers far too often about kids drowning in the back garden or on holiday so this is a brilliant campaign to promote important water safety messages. Being in the water is so much fun and it can be safe, as long as everyone follows the rules.”
The ASA runs Get Safe 4 Summer because on average, one person drowns in the UK every 17 hours.
Drowning is still the third highest cause of accidental death amongst children.
Approx 20 per cent of all drownings are at coastal locations and around a further 62 per cent are at inland waters - rivers, lakes, canals, reservoirs.
The ASA recognises swimming in open water such as lakes, rivers, canals and the sea is very different from the pool and that the ability to recognise dangers and a knowledge of water safety is just as important as being able to swim.
Learn more about child water safety tips or visit our water safety pages for the under-16s.
Campaign Objectives
The objectives of the campaign are to:
- Promote and raise awareness of the importance of learning to swim and achieving water confidence
- Increase knowledge and practical water safety skills.
- Raise awareness that organised, supervised water based activity is fun and safe.
- Introduce new water based skills such as snorkelling.
- Promote swimming as part of a healthy lifestyle and family activity.
- Provide the information in a fun and memorable way.
Campaign Supporters
The ASA would like to thank the Royal
Life Saving Society UK for their valuable support to the Get Safe 4 Summer Campaign.
Useful?
0
