North Yorkshire adventurer backs council’s river campaign

A record-breaking adventurer from North Yorkshire is backing a new campaign aimed at preventing more tragedies in the county’s rivers this summer.

Jasmine Harrison is fronting the campaign to help to prevent more water-related deaths by raising awareness of the dangers of open water.

It comes as a new national strategy to tackle the “scourge of drowning” has been published amid a recent surge in water-related fatalities across England and the UK.

Miss Harrison, who is from Thirsk, holds two world records and achieved global recognition when she became the youngest woman to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean five years ago at the age of 21, said: “This campaign is so important to highlight the risks of open water, particularly rivers, as people simply aren’t aware of the hidden dangers.

“These might be submerged rocks, strong currents you can’t see on the surface, deep pools or sudden changes in the water depth under your feet. In a second, you can go from hip-high in the water to not being able to touch the floor and getting into trouble.”

The campaign is supported by North Yorkshire Council and North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service and follows the introduction of warning signs at Richmond Falls in July.

The waterfalls have been the location of a number of incidents, including the death of a 12-year-old boy who drowned there last August.

Between 2019 and 2023, there were 2,306 water-related fatalities in England, of which 80 per cent involved men, and alcohol or drugs were reported as present in 34 per cent of accidental water-related fatalities.

There have been a series of deaths linked to water during the hot weather this year. There were at least 19 water-related deaths nationally during the heatwave that arrived towards the end of May, including a 13-year-old girl who died while in the River Wharfe near Burnsall in North Yorkshire.

On Saturday, a series of global events were held to commemorate World Drowning Prevention Day. Almost 300,000 people die from drowning each year, and drowning remains among the ten leading causes of death among children aged 5–14 years.

In England, coastal locations account for 35 per cent of accidental water-related fatalities, while most accidental water-related fatalities occur at inland waters.

North Yorkshire Council’s leader, Cllr Carl Les, said: “To have someone like Jasmine to launch the campaign is extremely welcome to help to promote such important safety messages.

“We want everyone to be able to enjoy all that North Yorkshire has to offer, but we want people to do that in an informed and safe way by being aware of the very real dangers that open water can present.

“The surface can look so calm and inviting but below that can be life-threatening risks.”

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) last week, Ross MacLeod, Water Safety Manager at the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), said: “Drowning is preventable, and it’s a significant public health challenge here in the UK”.

He added that it would be “a big step forward in the future to have a named Government department responsible for drowning prevention in the UK”.

‘Float to live’

North Yorkshire is England’s largest county and has a vast network of waterways including Gormire Lake at Sutton Bank and Semerwater and Malham Tarn in the Yorkshire Dales, while the Esk, Nidd, Swale and Ure are among the county’s rivers.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service has been involved in more than 200 rescue operations in lakes and rivers in the county since the start of 2022, and there have been a total of 19 accidental drownings in the county over the same period.

Members of the public have also been reminded of the impacts of warm weather intensified by climate change. In the UK, research has found that drowning deaths increase by 7.2 per cent for every 1°C rise in temperature. The risk is also nearly five times higher on days when temperatures exceed 25°C compared with days below 10°C.

The North Yorkshire campaign is promoting the ‘float to live’ principle if someone ends up struggling while in open water. The key safety advice is for a person who is in danger in water to tilt their head back, spread their arms and legs and to relax while controlling their breathing.

If someone else is in trouble, do not enter the water and instead follow the ‘call, tell, throw’ principle – call 999, tell them to float, and throw something that can help them stay afloat.

The campaign is also aimed at raising awareness of cold-water shock, which can have devastating effects.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s Deputy Chief Fire Officer, Garry Mackay, said: “We’re proud to be part of this campaign which is about helping people to make informed decisions and understand how to stay safe around water.

“Rivers, lakes and reservoirs may look calm and inviting, particularly during warm weather, but the risks beneath the surface can be life-threatening.

“Strong currents, hidden obstacles, sudden changes in depth and cold-water shock can quickly turn an enjoyable day out into an emergency. Thank you to Jasmine for her support for this campaign.”