Taking action in memory of Jordan
All areas: Friend of teen who drowned is pushing for water safety
The friend of a teenager who tragically died in the River Thames near Bourne End is hoping that his efforts to raise money and awareness of water safety help towards saving lives.
Nick Holdsworth shaved his head at the end of last month after launching a GoFundMe page to raise money for Berkshire Lowland Search and Rescue (BSLAR).
Since losing his friend Jordan Veira, who tragically died after getting into difficulty in the Thames in May 2021, Nick has been determined to see change and the implementation of more water safety measures.
Nick said: “It matters to me to see something done or see positive change happen so it reduces the chances of something like that happening again.
“Doing stuff like this helps me deal with it, because to be honest it still doesn’t really feel real. I thought it would sink in quite quickly, but it hasn’t for me.”
Last week, the 18-year-old met with a technician from the Environment Agency and the two had a ‘promising and encouraging’ meeting discussing what could be done to improve river safety, particularly in the stretch where Jordan passed away, which includes the ‘beach’ near The Bounty pub at Cock Marsh.
Nick said that during their conversation, the technician mentioned a range of measures that could be added to the area to improve safety, some of which include putting three or four signs up on the stretch and adding an extra life ring nearby.
He added: “[It was] more promising than I thought it was going to be and hopefully that can get implemented.”
The Maidenhead resident said he had found it ‘quite shocking and painful to see that nothing had been done’ in terms of implementation of measures following Jordan’s death.
“I think you would expect that after a tragedy like that, that something would be done immediately and that they would go out of their way to stick their necks out to do something,” Nick said.
He added that he would like to see even more measures put in to improve safety, including more signs and signs in the water, having buoys or other floats in the area, and more life rings and patrol boats.
He added: “The biggest thing for me is just something, just something really, because I think anything, whether it’s just one more life ring or just a few more signs could be the difference.”
“Like everyone knows, the river is a place that should be enjoyed but it is very dangerous and a lot of the dangers aren’t fully noticeable to most people, even if they do know a bit about water safety.”
Nick added that he would like to see more education on water safety in secondary schools for 13 to 18-year-olds.
He said: “I think that is maybe the most vulnerable group to tragedy. One talk for each school, each year could be the difference.”
Nick’s fundraiser is currently standing at more than £730, which is just shy of the £750 goal.
He added that BLSAR is looking for a new permanent base of operations in the Berkshire area, ideally within Wokingham, Bracknell or east Reading.
Jordan’s inquest, in 2021, heard responsibility for any extra signage at Cock Marsh would lie with the landowner, the National
Trust. Representative Robert Miles told the inquest it would ‘consider’ more signs but warned: “We need to be very careful about putting up signage and thinking that the job is done. It’s a much deeper problem than that.”
A spokesperson from the Environment Agency added “The Environment Agency takes water safety very seriously and is an active member of the National Water Safety Forum and the #RespecttheWater campaign. We are also an active participant in National Drowning Prevention Week and World Drowning Prevention Day
“The Environment Agency restricts swimming at our operational sites and provides appropriate signage, public rescue equipment and clear information of the hazard of entering the river.”
Visit gofundme.com/f/berkshirelowland-search-and-rescue to donate to Nick’s fundraiser.