REDDITCH’S MP has been elected as vice-chair of a committee looking at drowning prevention.
It comes after Karen Lumley helped set up the All Party Parliamentary Group for Water Safety and Drowning Prevention following the tragic death of 15-year-old Richard Fellows.
Richard, known to his friends as Porky, sadly drowned in March this year in the River Arrow and his family have since been campaigning for more awareness around the dangers.
The group, which held its first meeting on Tuesday (October 14), will be run by Stratford-on-Avon MP Nadhim Zahawi and aims to provide a ‘platform for change’ in relation to drowning prevention measures.
They are being supported by the Royal Life Saving Society UK which gave a presentation on water safety at the meeting.
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 – dams, reservoirs and canal lacks. Each of these deaths represents a heartbreaking 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. I am pleased to be working with Nadhim and others to get this group up and running.”
