- The new strategy launches on 25 July (World Drowning Prevention Day) and is published by the National Water Safety Forum, which is chaired by Professor Mike Tipton from the University of Portsmouth
- The launch follows a recent increase in accidental drownings linked to heatwaves, with many of those who died being young people or teenagers • Events will be held across the UK for people to safely practise lifesaving skills as part of the Find Your Float campaign
Tomorrow, on World Drowning Prevention Day (25 July), the National Water Safety Forum (NWSF) is announcing a new future for drowning prevention in the UK.
The new UK Drowning Prevention Strategy is backed by more than 130 organisations across the UK, including researchers from the Extreme Environments & Occupational Performance Research Group , and families who have experienced personal loss to drowning.
As recent weeks have tragically revealed, accidental drowning is a major public health issue in the UK. In one week, from May 24th to the 31st, 19 people lost their lives in accidental water-related fatalities, many of them children and teenagers .
According to the Water Incident Database (WAID) , more than a quarter (26 per cent) of all accidental drowning deaths that occurred in the five-year period 2020 to 2024 were young people aged 10 to 29.
The new strategy - in conjunction with new targeted drowning prevention strategies for England, Scotland Wales and Northern Ireland, which are also being launched on 25 July - aims to build a future in which everyone in the UK can be safe while in, on or around the water.
Across the four nations, targets include strengthening water safety education, increasing public awareness of the risks of water though water safety campaigns, and responding to new risks presented by climate change and extreme, including heatwaves.
Leading the NWSF's response to the data is Professor Mike Tipton , Chair of the Forum and co-founder of the University of Portsmouth's Extreme Environments & Occupational Performance Research Group .
Each year in the UK we lose over 8,000 years of life to drowning. The new UK Drowning Prevention Strategy and four national strategies for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are based on critical and detailed data surrounding drowning deaths."
Professor Mike Tipton, University of Portsmouth's Extreme Environments & Occupational Performance Research Group
He said: "Each year in the UK we lose over 8,000 years of life to drowning. The new UK Drowning Prevention Strategy and four national strategies for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are based on critical and detailed data surrounding drowning deaths.
"As a result, the strategies will focus and drive the National Water Safety Forum's drowning prevention research, interventions, educational output and campaigns going forward, with the aim of minimising the devastation and loss of potential caused by drowning, helping to build a future where everyone in the UK can be safe in, on and around the water."
To mark World Drowning Prevention Day and the launch of the new strategies, water safety organisations and leisure providers across the UK will be hosting events and activities that teach people the lifesaving skill of floating from 20 to 25 July.
The "Find Your Float" campaign encourages people to learn and practice how to float in a safe and supervised environment like a swimming pool or lifeguarded beach. In Portsmouth, the University is inviting members of the public to take part in a free 'Find Your Float' session on Saturday (25 July) , supporting people to learn an essential water safety technique which has the potential to be lifesaving.
The campaign's message is that, because everybody floats differently, it's important to practice what floating looks and feels like for you - it could save your life in an emergency.
Sadly, we know that warm weather is a known factor is a factor in increasing accidental drowning deaths. When the weather turns hot, many teenagers and young adults head to the water to socialise and cool off, often unaware of the dangers open water presents. With more hot weather and heatwaves forecast for the UK during August, water safety experts are urging the public to learn this essential lifesaving skill, and to share the message with friends and family.
How to find your float:
- Tilt your head back with your ears submerged
- Relax and try to breathe normally
- Move your hands and legs to help you stay afloat
- It's OK if your legs sink, everybody floats differently
- Once your breathing is under control, call for help or swim to safety
