The mother of a Fife teenager who drowned at an abandoned quarry believes a hard-hitting local campaign designed to highlight water safety should feature on the national curriculum.
Gillian Barclay, whose son Cameron Lancaster, 18, died at Prestonhill Quarry in Inverkeithing in August 2014, has been working with Police Scotland, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, the RNLI and the Royal Life Saving Society to raise awareness of the dangers of open water in several Fife schools.
Hundreds of pupils have now seen presentations as part of a pilot project involving seven secondary schools in south west Fife, and organisers believe there is scope to roll out the initiative far and wide.
Ms Barclay said she was driven to give a parent’s perspective after Kirkcaldy teenager John McKay, 18, died at the same quarry in June last year, less than 12 months after Cameron, and believes all pupils should be educated on the risks.
“The second death in the quarry so soon after Cameron’s accident really brought me to life,” she said. “I was in deep shock and grief and I got a text from my daughter, saying: ‘It’s happened again, mum.’
“That really woke me up and it shook me into doing something about it.
“Cameron was a very popular person to his year group and I try to get the children to think about losing their best friend imagine not saying goodbye, not seeing them grow up, go to university, get married, turn 21.
“That’s the sort of personal message that I think stays with them.
“I’m right behind this campaign and I think it’s important to stop children going in the water before they can’t get out.”
The presentation, which has also been shown at Cameron’s former school, Inverkeithing High, highlights the fact that more than 400 deaths in the UK per year occur from drowning.
The pilot project has not only looked at the dangers of open water but also the effect cold water shock can have on the body and motor functions that can incapacitate even strong swimmers.
Although the project has been targeted at secondary pupils due to its hard-hitting content, a slightly toned-down package has been produced for primary schools and is being rolled out.
It is understood a submission has also been made to the World Conference on Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion in Finland this year, to highlight the Fife project on a global platform, and Dunfermline High rector Brian Branchflower is just one of those giving the campaign his full backing.
“The learning and teaching materials are wonderful, the enthusiasm is second to none and it’s been one of the best projects I’ve been involved with,” he said. “Some presentations in schools could put you to sleep but with this children do not switch off and they are actively involved.
“Youngsters at this age think they are untouchable but this presentation makes you sit up and think.”