On Friday 11th July, I visited St. Mark’s Catholic School to see first-hand the work the student-led Water Safety Team has been doing over the past couple of years in memory of their friend and fellow pupil, Brian Sasu, who lost his after a tragic accident while with his friends in the River Thames. The third anniversary of Brian’s passing was last week, and in memory of Brian, and to spread awareness on the importance of water safety, St. Mark’s Catholic School pupils have put together a water safety programme, led by Head of Year 8 Marie Thomas and supported by the Black Swimming Association, to help educate others about keeping safe in water.  

I began the visit by meeting with all 17 of the Water Safety Ambassadors, who are in years 8 – 10, where they told me about how they have worked tirelessly to ensure that other young people understand the dangers of open water in the hope that future lives can be saved. The Water Safety Ambassadors have been running awareness campaigns where they have held sessions focused on water safety tips delivered in assemblies and have been sharing what they have learnt with fellow students, helping to embed the message of water safety throughout the school.  

After learning about how they have worked together on the programme, the students shared the fantastic presentation they have created to educate and inform about how that to make safe choices when engaging with open water.  

The presentation went through the water safety code that is used across the school and encourages people to 1. stop and think 2. stay together 3. Call 999 and 4. ‘float to live’. The Water Safety Ambassadors structured their presentation around the core message – “SAFE: Safety Avoids Future Emergencies” – to help people think about safety and the possible risks before engaging with open water.  

This powerful presentation highlighted the gaps in knowledge some people have surrounding water safety and how to act when in an emergency. For example, the risk of cold-water shock – preventing ability to swim – can claim your life in minutes, even if you are a strong swimmer. At the end, the students quizzed the audience to find out how much they knew, and I was surprised to learn that, in 2023, simple everyday activities such as walking and running accounted for 48% of water fatalities, bringing to light the need for water safety education in our community. 11-18 years olds are at some of the highest risk.  

I was also very impressed by the vibrant and informative artwork pupils at the school have created to promote water safety which I discussed with Headteacher Andrea Waugh-Lucas. These incredible posters not only caught my eye but also taught me about key information on how to think quickly in case of an emergency.  

The Water Safety Ambassadors are on a mission to help educate our local community and are looking to spread the message to other local schools. I will look forward to sharing their message and their presentation in the autumn with Parliamentarians but also to support the pupils to be able to visit other schools in Hounslow and better inform children and young people in our community about how to stay safe around water. I have no doubt that their campaign which pays tribute to their friendship with Brian, will in his memory make a huge difference and save lives in Hounslow and across the country.