Paul Lawson's family continue to support water safety campaign to prevent accidental drownings

Paul Lawson’s mum and friends have shared their heart-breaking stories of losing a loved one to accidental drowning once again for a water safety campaign to prevent accidental drownings in open water.

The latest water safety campaign by Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) launched on Wednesday 23 June while supporting Royal Life Saving Society’s Drowning Prevention Week, which began on Saturday 19 June, and will run to Friday 25 June.

16-year-old Paul sadly drowned in June 2017 after he went swimming with his friends in Greenbooth Reservoir in Norden. It was a hot day and the teenagers thought it would be a good idea to go into the water to cool off.

Paul was a first-year BTEC Sport student at Hopwood Hall college and keen footballer. Having previously played for Wardle FC, Paul was a member of the Hopwood Hall Football Academy team at Middleton Campus when he died.

Four families whose lives were turned upside-down after losing a special person first joined forces with GMFRS in summer 2020 – reaching out far and wide to save others ever having to experience the same heartache as them.
 

Read more: “I’d lost my boy and there was nothing I could do about it” – Paul Lawson’s mum speaks of her loss for new water safety campaignPublished: 28 July 2020

This summer will see those who backed the hard-hitting campaign of 2020 return to social media, where their personal stories of losing loved ones will be shared in a bid to prevent people swimming and jumping into open water.

Natalie Lawson has bravely shared her story with GMFRS again this year to help raise awareness of just how dangerous open water, such as reservoirs, can be.

Paul’s friends – Ben Hough and Jordan Yates – have also shared their stories of losing a close friend. The pair continue to urge people not to go into open water as they talk about how their lives changed forever.

 

 

Ben said: “Losing Paul has changed me so much as a person. It’s one of them feelings, and I don’t want anyone to experience what we have.

“You always think it’s never going to happen to you but it does, and it mentally damages you.”

Jordan added: “Adults speak sense when they’re telling about staying safe around water, but when you’re with your friends you don’t even think about it – it’s the last thing on your mind.”

The campaign comes as figures reveal that 166 people accidentally drowned in open water in England last year – an increase of 13% from 2019.

Since June 2016, GMFRS firefighters have been called to 38 fatal water incidents. Sadly, a number of those who drowned were young men who got into difficulty after jumping into open water on a hot day to cool off over the summer months, however, these incidents can happen at any time.

GMFRS Area Manager Paul Duggan said: “Even strong swimmers can suffer from Cold Water Shock and it can kill you in just 60 seconds. You also never know how unpredictable under-water currents can be, or what is lurking beneath the surface – people have drowned after getting tangled up in undergrowth and other things hiding in the water.

“We don’t want to stop people having fun, though safety is key here as we continue with our mission to educate young people and their parents or carers of the dangers that come with going into open water, especially during the summer months as we spend more time outdoors.”

The dedicated water safety campaign will include lots of targeted social media activity, sharing the videos of family members and friends, and new banners and posters being put up in areas where young people have drowned or tend to visit with their friends, as well as at community fire stations across the city-region.

Water safety messages are reinforced through Safe4Summer – a partnership campaign between GMFRS, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and the 10 local authorities.