Vital swim safety courses hosted for children

Giving children the knowledge of how to save themselves in water is "absolutely vital", a teacher has said.

During May's heatwave, the Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS) issued a warning about the potential dangers of open water swimming following the deaths of nine people, many of whom were teenagers.

Swim Safe sessions, run by Swim England and the RNLI, are carried out across the country, including in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, for children aged between seven and 14.

Kathryn Oxley, deputy head of St Philomena's School in Frinton-on-Sea, whose pupils took part in the sessions, said: "I think they're absolutely vital for our children who live on the coast, particularly in light of recent news."

She added: "They're going to get a bit more freedom as they get older, and it's important they know how to keep themselves safe."

St Philomena's pupil Emily was one of those who took part in the sessions.

"It was really fun," she said. "We learned how to save ourselves if we were in danger and we also learned how to do the polar bear crawl."

Another pupil, Kit, said: "We learned how to get in a huddle to keep us warm if we need help, and we also learned how to call for help by sticking your fist it in the air and shouting 'Help!'"

Mick Barry, Tendring District Council's portfolio holder for leisure, said the sessions – which have been running locally since 2017 – were one of a number of measures to ensure beachgoers stayed safe.

He added that the area's beach patrol responded to six incidents during last week's heatwave, with the patrol "critical in saving lives".

Tendring's Swim Safe sessions will be open to the public during the school summer holidays.

Do you have a story suggestion for Essex? Contact us below.

Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.