A Place In The Sun's Laura Hamilton relives horror of watching teen die on beach

As a presenter on TV’s A Place in the Sun, Laura Hamilton is used to filming happy couples on wave-washed sands. But after witnessing a horrifying beach tragedy she is now determined to use her voice to help save the lives of others. The 44-year-old mum of two has thrown her support behind the Mirror’s Save Lives for Sam water safety campaign in a bid to end the shocking number of children who drown each year in England. Laura explains: “How could I not back this campaign? This issue is so important and my recent experience simply reinforced the fact we have to get the water safety message out there.” Laura, who lives in Surrey, was filming in Montpellier in the south of France earlier this month for the hit Channel 4 property show when she witnessed the reality of the dangers of open water. The presenter, who has been on screen with A Place in the Sun since 2012, remembers: “We had finished filming for the day a few hours earlier than expected so I thought I’d jump in the car and head to the beach - it wasn’t far away. “But when I got there I saw a lot of commotion. There was a helicopter landing, an ambulance - all the emergency services. I didn’t know what was happening at first. “Then I realised someone had been in difficulty in the water. There was an attempt going on to resuscitate the person and they put sheets up so people couldn’t see. In the end they didn’t manage it. I watched it unfold around me. It was shocking and horrible. I later found out it was a 19-year-old lad who had lost his life. I just can’t imagine what that boy’s family is going through. As a mum it struck me - I have a son myself.” She admits the incident had a profound effect on her: “I didn't sleep very well that night because I just kept playing over and over what I’d seen. My mind was racing. Obviously we don’t know exactly what happened, although there are very strong undercurrents in that area, and I hesitated in talking about it publicly because it’s sensitive - someone has lost their life. “But for me it just reinforced the fact that getting the message about water safety out there is crucial. That’s why I’m backing the Mirror campaign.” Save Lives for Sam is calling for urgent action to stop the huge number of children who lose their lives through drowning each year in England. The equivalent of an entire classroom of youngsters - 33 in total - is lost with campaigners calling the issue a “national emergency”. In one week alone in May, amid a record breaking heatwave, 19 children and adults were killed in water related incidents. Front and centre of the campaign is Simon Haycock, whose 16-year-old son Sam drowned in Ulley Reservoir in Rotherham on his last day of school in 2021. He has been fighting to be heard since the loss of Sam and calls the issue of water safety “a matter of life and death”, adding: “change needs to happen and it needs to happen fast.” Save Lives for Sam wants the government to launch an urgent public awareness campaign targeting parents and children on TikTok and other social media platforms as well as introduce compulsory water safety lessons in schools. In addition, the campaign is calling for water companies to introduce correct safety equipment around bodies of water and for the government to appoint a Minister for Water Safety. The introduction of ‘Sam’s Law’ is also demanded, making it a legal requirement for safety equipment to be installed around high risk areas of water and making damaging the equipment an aggravated criminal offence - currently these offences are deemed minor and carry low penalties. For property expert Laura, who lives in Surrey with son Rocco, 12 and 11-year-old daughter Tahlia, water safety has always been high on her agenda. She says: “I started travelling with my children for work when they were three weeks old and they were often around pools and beaches so they had to learn to swim; for me it was non negotiable. I had wonderful people who helped and supported me to do that. When I was a kid the school I attended took us to the leisure centre for lessons too - but not everyone gets those chances. “Being taught how to swim shouldn’t be seen as a “nice to have” - it’s a fundamental skill, a necessity. That extends to adults. And even if you can swim you still need to be aware of the dangers of open water. We teach people about CPR and life saving skills and that’s great but we need to be encouraging water safety.” Laura, who has her own YouTube channel, Property with Laura Hamilton, admits she was shocked when she discovered some of the data around the number of those losing their lives through drowning. The World Health Organisation lists it as the third leading cause of death for children aged five to 14. She adds: “I looked at the statistics and couldn’t believe it - we have to get these numbers down. The campaign is brilliant. Everyone has a duty to be mindful of others. For instance, I was away on holiday with my friend, daughter and her friend. The hotel was on the beach and my mate mentioned that people were getting up early to put their towels on the sunbeds around the pool. “But she noted those around the pool were adults without children. Surely if you’ve got kids you should be given the priority to actually be on those beds so you can keep an eye on them? It’s such a simple thing, a tiny thing but it could make a difference.” Laura, who came second in the 2011 series of Dancing on Ice, reveals she spoke to her children in the wake of the French beach tragedy she witnessed: “They were shocked. But it prompted me to ask if they knew what to do if they ran into problems in the sea, say with riptides or currents. “It's hard because you never want to put your own fears and worries onto children. You still want them to be able to enjoy things, go in the sea or pool, but they have to be equipped with the right information and be aware of the danger.” Save Lives For Sam is backed by bereaved families as well as The Royal Life Saving Society (RLSSUK), RoSPA (the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, Lee Pitcher MP, the Black Swimming Association (BSA), The National Water Safety Forum, the RNLI, Swim England and The Swimming Alliance. The Four-time Olympic medallist and TV presenter Becky Adlington OBE has also leant her support as has Triple Olympic champion and RLSS UK Ambassador Tom Dean. Laura says she’s been both saddened and shocked by some of the stories of people who have lost their lives - adults and children. She adds: “And for every statistic there’s an individual and a family that’s been changed forever. Just like that lad on the beach. We need information that’s accessible to everybody, better understanding of the risks around water, and a programme of education. That surely can’t be too hard, can it?” The Mirror has launched the Save Lives For Sam water safety campaign to tackle the UK's growing drowning crisis. Backed by MPs, Olympic champions, national water safety organisations and bereaved families, the campaign is calling for urgent action to make our waters safer. That includes compulsory water safety lessons in schools, a nationwide public awareness campaign, better lifesaving equipment at high-risk waterways, the introduction of Sam's Law, and a dedicated Minister for Water Safety. Find out more about the campaign and how you can support it here.