Charity working to help save lives in tribute to ‘superstar’
Fundraisers are on a mission to improve water safety following the death of 11-year-old Zac Thompson, as Laura Clements reports
THIS summer marks one year since the tragic death of a “cheeky, mischievous and loyal” schoolboy on a Welsh beach.
Zac Thompson was just 11 when he drowned at West Angle beach in Pembrokeshire in July last year. As the county gears up for another holiday season Zac’s friends and family are determined that he doesn’t simply become another statistic.
The Pembroke Dock Community School pupil had no intention of entering the sea on the evening of July. He was at the beach with his elder brother and their 11-year-old cousin on the Friday evening watching the sunset. An inquest earlier this year heard how a “freak wave” swept the boys off the rocks and Zac became trapped in a whirlpool.
His two family members managed to climb to safety on nearby rocks but Zac went under the water. A member of the public managed to get him to the shoreline where emergency services were waiting and he was rushed by air ambulance to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff.
An inquest at Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire Coroners’ Court heard he died the next day.
It was a tragic incident which affected the whole of the tight-knit community and not least his rugby team. That’s why a small group of coaches and parents set up Forever11 in Zac’s name.
Natalie John, 35, and Lucy Cawley are two trustees of the charity and they explained that they are like “one big family”.
So far the charity has raised £11,000 from a family fun day last August and a further £5,000 from other events.
Their mission is simple: “To educate the local community in sea safety and awareness”. It’s a message that resonates particularly strongly in Pembrokeshire, which has one of the highest rates of water-related fatalities in all of Wales. A high percentage of those people do not intend to enter the water, said Natalie.
For Lucy, who has two boys of her own, it’s hard to get her head around it: “You just can’t imagine living without your children,” she said.
The youngster was a keen sportsman and was able to swim.
“He was cheeky, mischievous, very, very loyal to his mates, incredibly kind and compassionate,” said Lucy.
Natalie, who has four sons and whose husband was Zac’s rugby coach, added: “He would protect people and make sure people were treated right and fairly. He was very, very kind-natured.”
Their words echo those of Zac’s mum, Carli Newell, who read a tribute to her son at the inquest and said: “Zac was a complete one of a kind. He was funny, cheeky, kind, caring, courageous and a big ball of fun with mischief running through his bones.”
Zac’s “piercing blue eyes and striking features” made him a handsome-looking boy and he would “put a smile on anyone’s face”, the two women added.
“He was one of those kids who could walk into a room not knowing anyone but he would walk out with 100 new friends,” they said.
“You were just drawn to him. “He was one hell of a sportsman too. He was one of those children who could turn his hand at anything.”
Although he played rugby and cricket, it was football that was his biggest passion and he played at county level and for the Swansea City Academy.
“He could have been a professional footballer without a doubt,” said Lucy.
“He had the talent to get that far.” Natalie added: “He was small but feisty. He was a real superstar in our [rugby] team.”
In the August after his death Zac’s teammates held a memorial football and rugby match.
“They knew they were doing it in his memory,” said Natalie.
“It helped them get back into it and allowed them the chance to talk about what happened.”
Zac’s friendship group had been together since he was four. Lucy’s youngest son shares a birthday with Zac’s brother Tyler. “We’ve got lovely memories,” she added.
“It affected us all because it could have been any one of us,” said Natalie, who is determined to make this year’s fun day even bigger and better than the last.
“We don’t want his memory to fade.”
This year’s fun day will be held on July 22, which will also mark the anniversary of Zac’s funeral. The inaugural event raised funds which were split between the Wales Air Ambulance and Angle RNLI who both provided aid to Zac. Since then Forever11 has been awarded charity status and it will now raise funds to put towards water safety and drowning prevention in Pembrokeshire.
So far the charity has worked to identify and replace broken or missing life-saving equipment around the coastline such as life rings and throw ropes. It’s also held its first free water safety awareness course for 32 schoolkids.
But it wants to do more and believes the key is to teach kids on the beach in a real-world scenario.
“Living on the coast it’s surprising the number of children who haven’t been to the beach,” said Natalie.
She knows it’s impossible to wrap children up against all danger but there are ways to make them more aware, she said. Things like knowing and understanding the tides and winds when you go out paddle boarding make a difference.
After receiving charity status in February this year, the Forever11 team said: “Forever11 started out as a saying by Zac’s school and teammates. It’s something that resonated across the community as a symbol of our love and heartache – a loss that impacted and shocked everyone who knew him.
“We often talk about the rugby family and for us Zac was part of that family. The family fun day and memorial match was originally a one-off event to raise money for the organisations that tried to help Zac but the outstanding attendance of our community saw us raise over £10,000. We saw this as an opportunity to create something special.”
This year the fun day will feature a samba band, a performance by the Kelly Williams school of dance, axe-throwing and archery by Paddle West, and music by Honey Fungus.
There will also be traditional stalls, as well as a display by the Pembrokeshire fire spinners and various inflatable fun.
■ To find out more visit the Forever11 Charity page on Facebook.