Water Safety

There has been a stark increase in the number of tragedies in and around water

amongst young people, and we must work together to prevent more deaths.

Four people under 20 died in accidental drownings in Wales in 2022 – the highest

number since comparable data became available from the National Water Safety

Forum’s Water Incident Database (WAID) in 2015. In total, there were 22 deaths in

Wales from accidental drowning in 2022 across inland and coastal locations, and we

have already seen a number of drowning fatalities this year.

We at Swim Wales, the

RNLI and Water Safety Wales, would like your support in raising further awareness of

our water safety messages to children and young people on the importance of staying

safe around the coast and inland waterways like rivers, lakes and reservoirs during the

summer period.

One drowning is too many. Below are four simple live saving tips to children and young people to help them stay safe around open water:

Stop and Think

Stay Together

Float

Call 999 or 112

The StayWiseCymru website is easy to use – just select an age group, subject, or theme, and you will find a

collection of resources to keep students busy. Find it now at