To mark World Drowning Prevention Day today, STA is at Waterworld in Stoke-on-Trent promoting the importance of learning to swim and water safety. Joining us at the event is the Staffordshire emergency services and the Canal and River Trust, who will also be sharing important lifesaving water messages with families enjoying the first week of the school summer holidays at Waterworld.

The World Health Organization (WHO) first declared World Drowning Prevention Day in 2021, and it has since provided an opportunity for all those involved in water safety to highlight the tragic and profound impact of drowning on families and communities around the world and promote the importance of water safety. Globally, an estimated 235,600 people drown every year, and drowning is among the ten leading causes of death for children aged 5-14 years.

The latest UK figures show the number of child drowning deaths in England has significantly increased from 20 in 2019-20, to 41 in 2022-23. Tragically, a total of 125 children have accidentally lost their lives to drowning in the last four years. The UK data also shows there was a rise in water-related fatalities for all recorded causes in 2023. And, of accidental fatalities, 83% were male, and more than half happened in inland waters.

As an educational charity dedicated to ‘preserving human life by the teaching of swimming, lifesaving and survival techniques’, STA is committed to promoting the importance of water safety; and with this being the first week of the school holidays, families visiting Waterworld today will be able to take away a host of free educational resources so that they can learn the Water Safety Code and how to #LoveWaterSafely. Also, in attendance will be STA’s friendly water safety mascot, STAnley, and he will be encouraging the children to ‘Go Blue’ (dress up in fun swimming blue props) and pledge ‘One Thing’, as these form part of WHO’s call to actions this year.

Jarred Hill, from STA’s marketing team who is at Waterworld today, said: “World Drowning Prevention Day is a key date in our calendar; it gives us the opportunity to talk to children and teach them how to spot dangers, what to do in an emergency situation, and how to survive and float to live. This is especially important during the peak holiday season, when we tragically see the highest levels of drownings here in the UK and on holiday abroad.

“Up to 2,000 people are expected to attend Waterworld today, which provides a fantastic opportunity for us, the emergency services and the Canal and River Trust to engage with lots of families and remind them about the importance of water safety this summer.”