Yahoo News Water Safety Day to be held following River Tyne deaths of three teenagers
A Gateshead community group is set to host a water safety day after three teenagers lost their lives in the River Tyne.
Our Villages Crawcrook and Greenside will host a water safety day at the Crawcrook Parking Green on August 2 to teach kids how to stay safe around bodies of water. Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue will be in attendance offering advice and demonstrations.
The event has been organised following the tragic death of 13-year-old Robert Hattersley, of Crawcrook, in July 2022. Robert got into difficulty in the River Tyne near Ovingham, Northumberland when he was swept under by the current and could not be retrieved.
Tragedy struck again in May this year when two Newcastle teenage friends also died after getting into difficulty in the Ovingham stretch of the River Tyne. Despite being rescued from the water, 13-year-old Aras Rudzianskas died later in hospital.
His friend, David Radut, 14, was discovered following an extensive search of the river and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
One of the organisers of the event, Christopher Beer said: "We are hoping that we can encourage the youth of Crawcrook to act safely around water and if they get into trouble the the advice on the day can save some lives.”
The deaths have also sparked calls for improved safety provisions on the river from Northumberland county councillors.
In May this year, Coun Angie Scott of the Prudhoe ward, who also described getting into difficulty in the river as a child, said: "More needs to be done, we need a plan going forward. We need to get the message out to young people that it is not a safe place to swim.
"When you look at the number of these tragedies across the country, it's a national issue."
According to the Royal Life Saving Society, an average of 307 UK and Irish citizens accidentally drown every year.
