Tom Dean wants the British Government to take urgent action on water safety education in the wake of recent drownings and with summer fast approaching.
At least 17 people died in water-related incidents during a heatwave in the UK in late May.
Many of the victims were aged between 12 and 17 and drowned in lakes, reservoirs, rivers and in the sea with the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS) attributing much of this to cold water shock.
The three-time Olympic champion has long been an advocate for water safety and has set up Tom Dean Swim Schools in six towns and cities across England.
Tom Dean: Photo Courtesy: Andrea Masini / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto
Dean was recently announced as celebrity ambassador to the RLSS with his swim school in Maidenhead hosting a water safety education event for 500 schoolchildren to mark National Drowning Prevention Week.
It came a day after Dean addressed the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Water Safety Education with the double world champion calling on authorities to take immediate action to prioritise water safety.
He told Swimming World: “One of the things we were talking about in the APPG is how volunteer groups have done some incredible work – the RLSS and the RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) all do some really impactful programmes and outreach programmes.
“But it has to come from a governmental level – this is an urgent issue; this is a tragic issue that is very much in the minds of the nation at the moment but more than that a preventable issue.
“This is something that doesn’t impact equally across the population – young people and children, boys more than girls, people from more deprived areas. That is why there was a big push yesterday: one of the recommendations was a real public health approach be taken by the government to put this right at the top of the list of importance, to really bring it into sharp focus as an impactful programme the government can start to roll out.”
Dean welcomed last month’s announcement that 13 bathing sites are to be opened across England, including the first in the River Thames in London.
He added: “It has to be done correctly, in the right way and the government initiatives to mitigate future drownings has to go hand in hand with its push for additional clean water bathing sites and opportunities for people to swim in open water. The two have to work in conjunction. I think people are sitting up and taking notice of the fact that as weather warms, people are going to be drawn to bodies of water, that’s inevitable. An ineffective thing is to say, ‘don’t do it, don’t do it, don’t do it’; instead no – do do it, do it at the right place with the right people with the right education and the correct understanding of the dangers before it’s undertaken.”
Overcoming Barriers Outside His Control
Tom Dean: Photo Courtesy: Georgie Kerr
A combination of issues converge to threaten public safety in the water – not being able to swim, pool closures, a rising cost of living and children and adults missing swimming lessons during the covid pandemic to name a few.
Dean recognises it’s a much wider conversation and one he’s confronted at his swim schools when establishing what is preventing people from learning to swim.
“There are things that are outside our control,” he said. “The cost of living crisis and energy costs that cause leisure centres to close, but what we can do is try and really lobby for places to stay open and provide support to keep leisure centres open – a leisure centre serves a whole community – and unfortunately fewer and fewer of them are being built with pools.
“There are all these education points that we can really hammer home but there are massive national level issues that are affecting pool closures up and down the country.
“We can really do as much as we can as an organisation to mitigate those effects but if we can begin a conversation at a governmental level to push water safety and swimming education, that’s also something we are very keen to do.”
Safe Swimming For All
The education event involved an assembly where the children – whose ages ranged from around six to 14 – were taken through the water safety code as well as watching a slide show and RLSS content.
Photo Courtesy: Andrea Masini / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto
That was followed by a demonstration of rescue services in the pool with the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service.
Dean strongly advocates for swimming as a fundamental life skill that should be safe and accessible for all.
“I grew up in and around water. I spent my summers swimming in the Thames in Maidenhead; I spent my holidays down in Cornwall at the sea every single year and when I wasn’t I was in a pool in Maidenhead training.
“Swimming is an incredibly important part of my identity and it’s a sport that – I might be slightly biased – but I do believe is the best in the world, that everyone of all ages and abilities can access, that’s the beauty of swimming and ultimately a life skill as well.
“I am swimming and swimming’s me, we go hand in hand, so I really want to encourage people to get involved in the sport and to access the beautiful bodies of water we have and are blessed with in this country. But alongside that has to go the education point which is why I’m doing what I’m doing.”