Primary pupils in Shrewsbury have had an exciting lesson in water safety as part of the Police and Crime Commissioners Home and Dry campaign.
78 pupils, aged between four and six, at Whitchurch Infants School had a visit from West Mercia Search and Rescue volunteers who demonstrated how to perform a rescue using a throwline and the professional equipment they use to help someone in difficulty. Assistant Police and Crime Commissioner Nicola Lowery also attended the visit.
The pupils also took part in the Home and Dry online water safety course, which has now helped over 22,000 people learn how to keep themselves safe.
The visit is part of the Home and Dry networks ongoing work to improve water safety education with the Commissioner investing in a Water Safety Officer who has developed a full education package which is currently being piloted.
Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion said “Education is key in preventing unnecessary water tragedies, and inputs like this are so worthwhile in instilling safety advice into children at a very young age.
The investment I have made in improving education will continue to have a long lasting impact and Home and Dry continues to be a fantastic example of agencies continuing to come together to share an important message.”
Kirsty Walsh is the Ambassador for the Home and Dry Campaign, and West Mercia Search and Rescue, after losing her husband Shane to drowning. She said “I think it’s fantastic that local schools are inviting the team in and promoting water safety. It is crucial to target younger children as they are the growing generation that will change the way we view water safety, keeping it at the forefront of our minds. Often we have found that it is the younger children who go home and talk to relatives about what they have learnt and encourage them to be safe around the water.”
