Mum of drowned teen calls for water safety minister

The mother of a boy who drowned at a beach is calling on the government to appoint a water safety minister.

Joe Abbess, from Southampton, was 17 when he died after getting dragged out to sea by a rip current on 31 May 2023. Sunnah Khan, 12, from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, died in the same incident.

Joe's mum Vanessa has delivered a letter to 10 Downing Street, alongside other bereaved families, as part of the national Save Lives for Sam water safety campaign.

"We would just say to the government, 'These are our stories, please stop and listen because if we're working together we can save lives'," she said.

Eight other people were rescued and witnesses to the incident described it as going "from zero to absolute chaos with no warning".

Vanessa previously said she did not know that rip currents "were a thing around the British coast" and that "people need to be aware".

She had also called for water safety to be taught in classrooms, which has become a statutory part of the Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) curriculum in schools across England, for both primary and secondary pupils from 1 September.

Vanessa said that was "fantastic" but public health awareness was also needed.

"All these cases, if they're treated separately, aren't really showing the true picture.

"Whereas if treated in their entirety, it's a mass issue that needs to be looked at from a government perspective."

The campaign has also been backed by organisation including the national governing body for swimming, Swim England, The National Water Safety Forum and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).

The spell of record-breaking hot weather earlier in the year saw a number of people die after getting into difficulties in England while swimming in lakes and rivers.

"We're calling to government to appoint a water safety minister, which is something that the United Nations (UN) has recognised... and it's time for the government to act," Vanessa said.

She said they were working with the water safety industry "who've got drowning prevention strategies".

She said her "healthy, fit, strong" son had died despite having been "really sensible".

"He was in the flag safe swimming zone, close to lifeguards with friends but a sudden and ferocious rip current came in out of nowhere which knocked them off their feet causing a mass-rescue incident.

"We expected him to come home at the end of that day and tragically, he didn't which is very hard to process."

Vanessa said there were similar cases where "nothing was being done that shouldn't have been and this can still happen".

"I think there's an element of naivety and complacency in the country as a whole and if we can look to educate, and by telling our stories make a difference, it could really save lives because anyone can drown."

She said the campaign had also received "absolutely amazing support" from the Labour MP for Southampton Itchen Darren Paffey.

"If I can feel I can stand with others and raise this for the greater good, it feels like a positive in Joe's memory," she added.