P-05-868 Water Safety/Drowning Prevention and the effects of Cold Water Shock to be taught in all Schools in Wales, Correspondence – Petitioner to Committee, 16.03.20

Shwmae,

We are pleased to finally see a response from RLSSUK on this matter. As the only independent Welsh water safety charity, we wish to make our final points in relation to this subject. 

》 As Carmarthenshire Water Safety Partnership (CWSP) has been a member of RLSSUK since 2015, we would have appreciated it if we were addressed by the right title in the letter.

》 CWSP is the only Welsh organisation providing bilingual water safety education information via PDF and hard copy leaflets to schools in Wales. It recently delivered 13,500 leaflets to every secondary school in Dyfed. All self funded. These are supported in the leaflet by adverts from the RNLI and National Fire Chiefs Council.

》 RLSSUK attended the 2019 Royal Welsh Show without any bilingual drowning prevention literature. Not acceptable. Much work is needed to deliver effective interventions for Wales which is currently sorely underrepresented, which is very frustrating to see.

》 The Water Safety Wales group is still not actively delivering any interventions to the general public in Wales. It has been in a setting up phase since 2017. Delivery of a robust WHO national water safety plan should be driven by Welsh Government.

》 CWSP are pleased to be supported as a key lobbyist to increase awareness of the issues of cold water shock, as per the UK National Drowning Prevention Strategy 2016-2026.

Diolch pawb,

Adam Whitehouse
Chair
Carmarthenshire Water Safety Partnership