Tuesday, 14th June 2016
Throughout June, we will be working with Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service to deliver water safety information to Pendle primary schools.
Over the next few weeks, local fire-fighters will visit all three of our leisure centres to work with staff and swimming instructors to educate schoolchildren in vital water safety skills that will help keep them safe around open water.
They will spend a number of days at each centre in a bid to reach as many youngsters as possible, starting at West Craven Sports Centre, Barnoldswick, this week; followed by Pendle Wavelengths in Nelson and then the last week in June they will be at Pendle Leisure Centre in Colne.
In various hands-on sessions, the schoolchildren will learn numerous life-saving skills, including CPR and swimming techniques. The fire brigade will demonstrate reach rescue/throw and rescue and talk about hot spots and how to dial 999.
Pendle Leisure Trust’s Swimming Co-ordinator, Christine Britton, said: "We will be raising awareness of the importance of learning to swim; increasing knowledge of staying safe in and around water; providing an understanding of the actions to take in the event of discovering someone in difficulty in the water and basic first aid.
“As part of the initiative, we are working with the parents of 17-year-old James Goodship who drowned in Foulridge Reservoir two years ago, to teach youngsters the importance of water safety, especially at this time of year, when it is tempting to cool off in a lake, river or reservoir.”
Find out more about the dangers of open water here: