This May Bank Holiday has seen hot and sunny weather across Yorkshire and throughout the UK. It has been beautiful outside but sadly, hot weather often coincides with tragedy as people swim outdoors, not always with a full understanding of the risks.
In Lincoln, a heartbroken father has paid tribute to his 15-year-old son who tragically died after swimming in Swanholme Lakes on Sunday. And tributes are also being paid to a 13-year-old boy who died following an incident at Leadbeater Dam, in Calderdale, near Halifax. Emergency services were called to Leadbeater Dam on Sunday afternoon. A huge multi-agency response was launched, with police giving a statement as the operation ended in heartbreak.
This weekend has also seen water-related tragedy and accidents in different parts of the UK. The body of a teenage girl was found at a popular water park in Warwickshire on Monday. In Northumberland, a mum raised concerns about the lack of lifeguards at a Blyth beach after her 10-year-old daughter got into difficulty in the sea, as our sister title ChronicleLive reports.
The timing is therefore vital for triple Olympic gold medallist Tom Dean, Tom Dean Swim School and Leisure Focus to launch an expanded water safety and drowning prevention campaign across multiple areas of the UK this spring and summer. And we’ll be supporting them at Hull Live, along with our sister publications ChronicleLive, Teesside Live and Yorkshire Live.
The campaign will deliver important water safety education and messaging to schools, colleges, leisure centres and local communities, with key areas of focus initially Hull, York, Birtley, Warrington, Windsor and Maidenhead, and further areas to join in 2026.
The campaign aims to educate young people on the dangers of open water, rivers, lakes and canals ahead of the summer period. Nationally, around 400 people lose their lives to drowning every year with the majority of these tragedies happening during the warmer months.
Schools and colleges in the target areas will receive water safety education resources and presentations, with interactive assemblies and awareness sessions featuring guidance from the Royal Life Saving Society UK. Leisure centres and local venues will display banners, posters and safety messaging to help children be more aware and their families promote that awareness.
Selected venues will also offer free or discounted swimming sessions for 13–17-year-olds to encourage safer alternatives to open water swimming. The campaign also supports Drowning Prevention Week, taking place from 13–20 June 2026.
Swimming athlete Tom Dean said: “Swimming and water safety are life skills that every young person should have access to. Through this campaign, we want to reach as many people as possible with clear, simple messaging that could genuinely help save lives.”
Mark Camp-Overy, CEO of Leisure Focus and Tom Dean Swim School, added: “This campaign continues to grow year on year through strong local partnerships and community support. By working with schools, colleges, leisure operators and national organisations, we can help spread this important message to more young people across the UK.
”The campaign’s key message this summer is: ‘Don’t become a memory’.
The campaign is now inviting local businesses, organisations, and community partners to help support and fund the initiative as it continues to expand nationwide. Contributions help fund free swimming sessions for young people, community awareness events and educational materials to promote the key messaging.
Businesses or organisations interested in supporting the campaign can get involved via Tom Dean Swim School website or email alex.sutton@tomdeanswimschool.com.
The campaign will run throughout spring and summer 2026, with community events, school participation and social media activity planned nationwide. Our titles will be supporting throughout.