Cold water swimming: Mum’s campaign for safety skills

Since the death of her son, Dylan, Beckie Ramsay BEM has been raising awareness of the dangers of open water swimming.

Dylan Ramsay was 13 when he drowned 10 years ago after going swimming in Hilltop Quarry in Lancashire.

A petition she started, which calls for an increase in curriculum content in England about water safety, has reached 100,000 signatures and will be debated in Parliament on 12 July.

The national curriculum for England states that pupils should be taught to swim competently, confidently and proficiently over a distance of at least 25 metres and perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations.

The Department of Education said: "Too many people lose their lives to drowning incidents each year and the Department recognises the role that water safety education plays in helping prevent accidents."

It added: "At this time, [the] government has no plans to review current curriculum expectations for water safety."

Video by Nick Raikes