Mum issues plea to parents after teen's river death

Michelle Guest is pleading for all parents to speak with their children about water safety

Michelle Guest knew something was seriously wrong when she heard sirens and saw a helicopter flying over her hometown of Welshpool, Powys.

Not in her worst nightmares did she expect the emergency crews to be searching for her 15-year-old daughter, Holli Smallman.

After receiving a phone call from a friend, Michelle ran across town to the River Severn and stood by the weir, praying that Holli had been carried downstream and was safely on the river bank, waiting to be found.

But a few hours later Holli was found 65ft (20m) from where she had entered the water. She was pronounced dead at the scene and her body was taken to the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford, Shropshire.

Holli's family and friends should have celebrated her 16th birthday in June, but instead they are having to gather on 9 August to mark the first anniversary of her death.

Holli went to Welshpool High School and was a Welshpool Army Cadets member

"Nearly 12 months later and I still can't get my head around it," said Michelle, a mother of seven.

"I wish she'd never gone down there and I wish somebody would wake me up from this nightmare, but it's not going to happen.

"She was always happy and very much loved by her friends."

Michelle said she had had conversations with Holli about water safety in the past and asked her the day before her death to play safely by the river.

A full inquest is yet to be heard, but Michelle said Holli died after getting caught in the backwash of a weir. A friend tried to help her out but could not manage against the force of the water, she said.

"I don't want any other family to go through what we're going through based on poor choices, just because the water looks inviting."

Michelle is now trying to raise awareness about water safety by sharing her own experience on social media and organising fundraising events for charities that educate children about the dangers.

Michelle said Holli could swim but the weir was too difficult to get out of

Holli's death was one of 193 accidental water-related fatalities in the UK last year, according to the National Water Safety Forum.

Its figures suggest that inland waterways, such as rivers, canals and reservoirs, continue to be the leading locations for drownings, accounting for 61% of accidental fatalities in 2024.

A dedicated water safety and drowning prevention strategy was brought in by the Welsh government in 2020.

Water Safety Wales, a group which brings together organisations including the Welsh government, also aims to cut the number of drowning casualties by promoting "a consistent and common approach to water safety".

Its figures show there were 54 water-related fatalities in Wales in 2024, with the figure remaining between 48 and 55 between 2020 and 2023.

"I plead with all parents to speak with their children so they understand the dangers of water," said Michelle.

"It can take a life. It took my Holli and I really don't want another family to suffer."