Event sessions help kids stay safe near water

Children in West Lothian were invited to join events to help them stay safe in the water as part of the rLss uK summer Drowning prevention Week.

the royal Life saving society uK (rLss uK) Drowning prevention Week took place at Xcite centres from June 20 to 26 and aimed to help prevent drowning by raising awareness of the 400 people who lose their life each year.

Kids came along to learn lifesaving skills and handy tips to take care at the beach and by the pool, for a happy hazard-free summer holiday.

During the event centres offered a number of additional water activities to their normal pool programme including free sessions, from Cpr demonstrations, aquatic rescue skills, to quizzes and spot prizes.

angela McCowan Xcite’s aquatic activities co-ordinator said: “around 400 people needlessly die from drowning in the uK every year and thousands more suffer injury, some life-changing, through near-drowning experiences.

“shockingly, one person dies every 20 hours in the uK and drowning is the leading cause of accidental death of children in the united Kingdom.

“Xcite has six swim venues throughout West Lothian that offer fantastic local facilities for people to come and enjoy water safely.

“We run a successful Learn 2 swim programme (scottish swimming affiliated) that teaches over 5000 local children to swim throughout the year.

“We also offer adult lessons so it’s never too late to learn.

“We are proud to be supporting rLss uK’s Drowning prevention Week.”

Di steer, rLss uK’s chief executive, said:“We want as many children as possible to sign up to these fun events and learn essential water safety skills which could potentially help them to save lives.

“We thank Xcite for getting involved with our campaign and helping to spread the important water safety messages at such a high risk time of the year.”

For more information on Xcite’s full daily swim programme including rookie lifeguard and swimming lessons visit www.westlothianleisure. com