Lincoln leisure centre shares water safety advice after recent tragedy

A Lincoln leisure centre is urging families to talk to children about water safety as more people head to the coast, rivers and lakes during the hot weather.

The message comes following the death of 15-year-old Declan Sawyer, who died after getting into difficulty at Swanholme Lakes in Lincoln last month.

Chris Hord, Partnership Manager for Greenwich Leisure in Lincolnshire, said understanding how to react in an emergency can be just as important as learning to swim.

He said: "We encourage people to learn how to float and not panic because when we panic it can raise our heart rate and make us out of breath a lot quicker."

Yarborough Leisure Centre has also been reminding children and families of the "float, call, throw" advice promoted by water safety organisations.

If someone gets into difficulty, people should call 999 and throw something that floats to help from the shore rather than entering the water themselves.

Chris Hord, who has a 15-year-old son himself, says what to do around water is a conversation many parents must have.

"My key advice is to think twice before entering the water really," he said

"From a parent's perspective, with a teenage boy who's 15 years old, I'm often at home telling him it's not what you need to be doing, going near open water.

"Water is great, it's fun and we need to enjoy it, but we need to make sure it's safe. If you don't know the water, you don't know the depth, you don't know what's underneath, you just don't go in."

Mr Hord said parents should not let their own lack of confidence in the water put children off learning to swim.

"We want people to come in and build that confidence in a safe environment," he said.