The 22nd July 2014, the first day of the school summer holidays, was a hot sunny beautiful day. Kyrece Francis, and 17 friends decided to find a secluded spot where they could play football, listen to music and cool off in a shallow River. They settled in a large field alongside The River Thames that had a sandy bay which looked really shallow. They were having so much fun. Some of the children including my son ventured out to swim to a central island, this is when Kyrece got into difficulties in the water. Many attempts were made by his friends to rescue him but sadly he tragically lost his life. There were no signs warning people not to swim and no warnings about the hidden under currents, no safety equipment nearby.
Around 400 people drown in the UK each year, and thousands more have near-drowning experiences, many suffering life changing injuries. Shockingly drowning is the third highest cause of accidental death in children in the UK.http://www.rospa.com/leisure-safety/water/There are thousands of individuals who survive drowning events but who are left with severe, and often permanent, life-changing injuries. Our search, rescue and emergency services respond to over 100,000 water-related rescue, and flood events annually. All of these place huge burdens on families, individuals and society.
Many of these deaths are as a result of simple everyday mistakes, such as a trip or fall into water, or misjudgments such as underestimating the effect of swimming in cold open water unprepared can have. Others result from inherently risky activities including jumping/tombstoning from a great height into water.
There are thousands of individuals who survive drowning events but who are left with severe, and often permanent, life-changing injuries. Our search, rescue and emergency services respond to over 100,000 water-related rescue, and flood events annually. All of these place huge burdens on families, individuals and society.
Many of these deaths are as a result of simple everyday mistakes, such as a trip or fall into water, or misjudgments such as underestimating the effect of swimming in cold open water unprepared can have. Others result from inherently risky activities including jumping/tombstoning from a great height into water.
Drowning Prevention Week, ran from 20 to 28 June 2015,
encourages schools, clubs, leisure centres and communities to come up with new and exciting
ways to show people how they can have fun and stay safe around water.
Swimming in the River Thames
RIVER THAMES CONDITIONS
Life saving equipment installed
More than 15 units have already been installed along the River Thames in Westhorpe Farm fields, down to Spade Oak Meadow, Bourne End, and at Bondig Bank in Marlow.
The summer is a great time on the River Thames,
Phase 1 -
Kyrece's Legacy placed safety equipment along the River Thames in Westhorpe Farm fields down to Spade Oak Meadow.
Please help us look after this equipment and save lives.
The latest b- line torpedo housed inside each unit.
thank you ...
The River Thames Society for their donation and support
in placing safety equipment at Bondig Bank
Wickes in Wycombe for supplying postcrete for some of the safety units
Wycombe District Council-Sarah Randall and Andy Sherwood for ordering the safety equipment and fully backing our project
Westhorpe Farm and Watersports - Roger Randall
Tim Lane and the Glasdon Team - for making and supplying the safety equipment and logos
Dave the Disco Perring - for his continued support
AN URGENT warning has been issued for summer revelers to stay away from rivers and lakes after the tragic death of teenager Kyrece Francis in the River Thames in Marlow , Buckinghamshire.
DROWNING
PREVENTION
Promote water and river safety
drowning prevention ,
swimming lessons and life saving education for children,
teens and their families.
Collaborate with schools to implement water safety
Educate public about water safety through community interaction.
Parents, teachers,
And community
Lets work together to educate and empower children and teenagers
how to make safe and smart choices about water and river safety.
Teach children River Awareness and water safety,
implement several safety measures along the River Thames.
SAFE Code iPhone App
If you have an apple phone or tablet, you can download our free water safety app Swim Safe.
The free app, aimed at primary school children, features water safety messages and games.
Also available to download: Water Safety for Children and Young People (PDF 232kb)
During the school holidays, and in particular in hot weather,
increasing numbers of children put themselves at risk of drowning. On average 40-50 children drown per year in the UK.
To keep yourself safe, when you are in, on or beside water, always follow the Water Safety Code.
The Water Safety Code
Spot the dangers!
Water may look safe, but it can be dangerous. Learn to spot and keep away from dangers.
You may swim well in a warm indoor pool, but that does not mean that you will be able to swim in cold water.
The dangers of water include:
- it is very cold
- there may be hidden currents
- it can be difficult to get out (steep slimy banks)
- it can be deep
- there may be hidden rubbish, e.g. shopping trolleys, broken glass
- there are no lifeguards
- it is difficult to estimate depth
- it may be polluted and may make you ill
Take safety advice!
Special flags and notices may warn you of danger. Know what the signs mean and do what they tell you.
Learn about water safety signs and the flags you should look out for on the beach.
Go together!
Children should always go with an adult, not by themselves.
An adult can point out dangers or help is somebody gets into trouble.
Learn how to help!
You may be able to help yourself and others if you know what to do in an emergency.
If you see someone in difficulty, tell somebody, preferably a Lifeguard if there is one nearby, or go to the nearest telephone, dial 999, ask for the Police at inland water sites and the Coastguard at the beach.
Find out about rescue methods.
Want to know more?
Now you know the Water Safety Code, try our Water Wise Quiz or look through our water safety information sheets.
Further information & resources
Drowning can happen very quickly, even in shallow water,
The key to keeping safe is to take all necessary precautions
to avoid getting into difficulty in the first place.
having the correct equipment can help save lives
Warm weather brings the dangerous temptation to cool off in the river,
It may be warm outside,
but the river is still cold and constantly moving at very fast speeds
The River Thames water can contain hazards,
particularly in and around structures such as bridges, locks and flood channels.
Unexpectedly cold water or strong currents can catch bathers off guard.
The winter floods have also moved a lot of debris around the channels, which remain hidden beneath the surface.
Rivers are great places to have fun and get close to nature and spend time with friends and family,
but vigilance can save lives and water-related accidents can be avoided by knowing how to stay safe 
The summer is a great time on our rivers,
and expect the River Thames to be a focal point for a lot of people’s leisure time.
“Not only do people boat, fish and walk by our rivers, they spend weekends camping and just lazing by the waters.
“We would like people to enjoy the water but to remember some basic safety points when out having fun.
stressing that people stay away from the edge,
that children must be accompanied by an adult
and swimming should be confined to recognized swimming areas, pools and lidos.
“We often see teenagers jumping off bridges, and swimming in the River Thames,
while this can be great fun, there are hidden dangers in the water that could cause them to get into difficulties.
Unexpectedly
cold water and strong currents can stop your ability to swim, the
currents are very strong in the middle of the river ,
it can pull you under the water and keep you below the surface.
Even if you are a strong swimmer , it can be very difficult to survive.
are often linked with strong currents.
How inviting does this look on a hot summers day?!? Especially to teenagers.
13-17 teenagers playing football, listening to music and swimming.
You can see how shallow it looks, but this river is very deep.
There are no signs up warning people not to swim and
no warnings about the hidden under currents, no safety equipment nearby.
My son tragically lost his life.
He wasn't the first to drown in this river but let's make him the last!
Our aim is to put warning signs and safety equipment up in
Marlow ,Higginson Park down to the river in Bourne End.
Lots of work is going on behind the scenes to make this happen.
Thank you for all your support so far and we hope you continue to support our charity so that this doesn't happen to anyone else
Imagine it was the beginning of the summer holidays.
Water Safety safety signs for anywhere where a general risk of water may be present.
