RECENTLY in Parliament, Karen Lumley MP was elected to the position of vice-chair for the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Water Safety and Drowning Prevention, which she also helped set up.

The formation of the cross-party group comes after the tragic drowning of 15-year-old Richard Fellows in March this year. The teenager from Redditch lost his life after swimming in a pool that forms part of the River Arrow.

The group, which will held its inaugural annual meeting on October 14, will be spearheaded by Stratford-on-Avon MP Nadhim Zahawi, with the aim of providing a ‘platform for change’ in relation to drowning prevention measures.

The APPG is being supported in its work by the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK), which also gave a presentation on water safety at the meeting.

The Redditch MP has been working with RLSS UK, based in Broom for the past few months. In June she signed up to support the UK's drowning prevention charity in its work to reduce drowning and provide water safety education and lifesaving awards across the UK and Ireland.

Tragically, more than 30 people drowned in just seven weeks during last summer's heatwave. Around 400 people accidentally drown in the UK every year - one every 20 hours - and thousands more have near drowning experiences.

Mrs Lumley said: “All of Redditch's residents were devastated by the loss of Richard Fellows, and we have enormous lessons to learn about water safety.

"Sadly every year, we hear of dreadful stories of people drowning in open waters, including dams, reservoirs, and canal locks. Each of these deaths represents a heart-breaking individual story.

"This group will bring together MPs concerned about water safety and drowning prevention and will provide a platform we can use to push for change."