This is one the last pictures of 17 year-old Joe Abbess from Southampton. This was taken on a warm and sunny day in May 2023 when Joe was on his way to the beach for a day out with friends.
Joe had his life ahead of him and was full of big dreams. He was coming to the end of his first year at City College and working as a Trainee Chef at Southampton Football Club.
Tragically, just hours after this picture was taken, Joe lost his life after getting into difficulty in the water. Another young person, Sunnah Khan from Buckinghamshire, also tragically lost her life in the same water that day.
Joe was a strong swimmer who was only waist high in the water and within a safe swimming area on a lifeguarded beach.
Joe’s mother, Vanessa Abbess, has since bravely spoken out about the importance of water safety education. Since being elected last year I have been privileged to meet and work with Vanessa and support her call to ensure that all young people learn about the dangers and unpredictability of our waters, alongside the work of the fantastic charity Royal Life Saving Society UK – RLSS UK who have campaigned on this issue.
This week is Drowning Prevention Week and I’m taking Vanessa’s campaign to Westminster, where I’ll be leading a Backbench Debate in Parliament this Thursday. This is where MPs from across the political divide will discuss the importance of classroom-based water safety education in schools.
Despite statutory guidelines, there is currently no form of water safety education on the National Curriculum, and I’m calling for there to be clearer requirements for all schools to teach classroom-based water safety education as a mandatory part of the national curriculum.
As Parliamentarians, we owe it to Joe and others who have lost their lives in the water to make sure we are properly debating and putting forward suggestions as to how best to promote water safety through the education system.
For Joe, and for Vanessa who has so bravely spoken out in his memory, I’m pleased to be able to give this issue the prominence it deserves in Parliament this week and will to do what I can to ensure we avoid these terrible incidents in future.