By IW Observer.co.uk
Water safety sessions will be delivered to more than 600 local children this week at the West Wight Sports and Community Centre.
The scheme is part of the Royal Life-Saving Society’s National Drowning Prevention Week.
The week starts tomorrow (Saturday) and will culminate in an open water training session for the adult swimmers who have pledged to ‘Swim the Solent’ to raise funds to ensure that the centre can continue this valuable work with Island children.
Figures indicate that around 25 per cent of primary pupils already leave school unable to swim, and experts fear that, as a result of the pandemic, many more young people will be lacking the ability to swim or self-rescue. Around 400 people accidentally drown in the UK and Ireland each year.
Centre manager, Clare Griffin, said: “We are proud to play our part in ensuring our families have a safe summer by delivering water safety sessions to so many Island children.
“We recognise how vitally important it is for children, living on the Isle of Wight, to know how to stay safe near water. We want the children living in our communities to enjoy all of the fun and benefits of being in and around water, but be educated on how to do that safely.”
Isle of Wight Observer