PCC John Campion said “There are too many water deaths across West Mercia.
We are taking a strong and united approach, which draws upon the expertise of a number of agencies and builds upon the existing good work of the last few years.
“Together we will work to continue to reduce the number of water deaths, ensure emergency and voluntary resources aren’t drawn to incidents that could have been prevented, and ultimately keep our communities safe.”
The Home and Dry campaign is driven by the Police and Crime Commissioner and brings together a range of agencies to improve water safety, and collectively build awareness of this important issue.
Extensive work has been carried out to fully understand the issue and the campaign has four key strands- education, night time economy, mental health and physical prevention.
The working group, established in August 2018, is PCC driven and multi-agency, bringing together key professionals to share key advice, and collectively shout louder- this is continuing to evolve and grow. Agencies involved include West Mercia Police, both fire services, West Mercia Search and Rescue, RNLI, RLSS UK, Canal and River Trust, The Samaritans, The Street Pastors, Severn Area Rescue Association, the national Water Search and Rescue Team, The Red Cross, Kickstart Academy, along with Local Authorities and Community Safety Partnerships across Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin.
Kirsty Walsh, an ambassador for West Mercia Search and Rescue and a widowed mum of two was key in launching the campaign in 2017 and has continued to work with the network to drive the campaign.
Following the tragic death of student Tom Jones in Worcester, Tom’s family have also worked alongside the network to raise awareness, tell their story and share important water safety messages.
Both Kirsty and Tom’s mum Vicki tell their stories below:
Investing in Education
The Home and Dry campaign and those involved in it remain committed to reducing the number of water deaths further; by collectively and extensively tackling the very roots of the issue.
The PCC has invested in a dedicated to resource to develop the Education strand of the campaign, working to improve the way children and young people are taught about water safety, with the ultimate aim of preventing more tragedies in the future.
A number of resources have now been produced and are available for teachers and other professionals to download on the TES website:
- Water Safety Class-based Lesson Plans KS1 | Teaching Resources (tes.com)
- Water Safety Class-based Lesson Plans LKS2 | Teaching Resources (tes.com)
- Water Safety Class-based Lesson Plans UKS2 | Teaching Resources (tes.com)
Commissioner John Campion said “We are taking a strong and united approach, which draws upon the expertise of a number of agencies and builds upon the existing good work of the last few years.
“Together we will work to continue to reduce the number of water deaths, ensure emergency and voluntary resources aren’t drawn to incidents that could have been prevented, and ultimately keep our communities safe.”
The Home and Dry water safety course was initially developed by West Mercia Search and Rescue, and provides some useful tips on keeping you and your loved ones safe. Over 16,500 people have taken part since the campaign launched.
The following partners are part of the campaign:
West Mercia Police
For more information: https://www.westmercia.police.uk
West Mercia Search & Rescue
For advice and to download the Home and Dry Water Safety Course: https://westmerciasar.org.uk/homeanddry/
Royal Life Saving Society UK
For extensive advice and resources: https://www.rlss.org.uk/
RLNI
For extensive advice and resources: https://rnli.org/
Shropshire Fire & Rescue Service
For advice: https://www.shropshirefire.gov.uk/
Hereford & Worcester Fire & Rscue Service
For advice on staying safe around water: https://www.hwfire.org.uk/safety-and-advice/water-safety/
Canal & River Trust
For advice about safety on our waterways: https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/safety-on-our-waterways
Street Pastors
For more information: https://www.streetpastors.org/
University of Worcester
For more information: https://www.worcester.ac.uk/
Water Search & Rescue
For more information: https://wsart.org.uk/
Campaign Materials
For hard copies of materials, or to request branded merchandise email [email protected]. The following materials are available to download
Statistics
In 2020 six people died from accidental/ natural cause drowning in the West Mercia area (3 in Worcestershire, 3 in Shropshire)
456 people drowned across England in 2020
For the WAID (Water Incident Database )full figures click here.
Home and Dry News
For the latest updates on the campaign, click below. Follow the campaign on social media #HomeAndDry:
- Primary Pupils have a Lesson in Water Safety
- PCC Backs National Drowning Petition
- Worcestershire to Pilot Drowning Education Package
- Campaign to Continue Focus on Night Time Economy in Shropshire
- PCC Invests in Education with RLSS UK to Prevent Water Tragedies
- Protecting new students from water tragedy
- Grieving parents back campaign to prevent student deaths
- Home and Dry: Educating students about water safety
- Growing Network to Ensure Communities Get Home and Dry
- Professionals unite to prevent water deaths
- Drowning prevention advice
- Life saving throwlines installed near open waters
- Drowning hotspots targeted in joint project
- Agencies unite to call for no more water deaths
- PCC backs water safety campaign to ensure people get Home and Dry
