As the temperature cools, YMCA NSW is reminding families that the risk of drowning doesn’t go away with the warmer weather – in fact, according to the Royal Life Saving’s Drowning Report 2015/2016, 59 people drowned in Australia in winter over that period.
Children can drown in backyard swimming pools and ponds, regardless of the season.
Alongside proper supervision, the key way to protect your children and equip them with the necessary skills that could save their life in the water is by enrolling them in regular swimming lessons.
YMCA NSW CEO Leisa Hart explains: “Children can drown all year round, and as attending formal swimming lessons significantly reduces the risk of drowning by up to 88 per cent[i], it’s essential that children continue their regular lessons through the winter months.
“Swimming lessons teach children reverence for the water and essential safety skills, and also offer other benefits such as keeping them active and healthy.”
Community not-for-profit YMCA NSW is one of the largest providers of swimming lessons in the state, teaching 16,000 children every week. YMCA centres have heated pools across NSW and the ACT that conduct swimming and water safety lessons all year round.
For more about swimming lessons at the YMCA and other YMCA NSW programs, visit www.ymcansw.org.au or call your local centre.
Media contact:
Louise O’Donnell
Media and Content Specialist YMCA NSW
E: louise.odonnell@ymcansw.org.au
[i] American National Institute of Health study in Archives Paediatric Medicine, Vol 163 No 3, March 2009
