'Save others from the same nightmare eighteen families have endured after drownings'

'Save others from the same nightmare eighteen families have endured after drownings' More than 50 people have drowned in open water in 2026 alone and, over recent years, dozens of other families have endured heartbreak after the deaths of loved ones Eighteen families united by the worst grief imaginable are asking for something painfully simple: action before another life is lost. They know better than anyone what drowning leaves behind. Empty bedrooms. Birthdays that never feel the same. A knock at the door that divides life into before and after. Now, after at least 56 drowning deaths this year, 34 of them children and young people, their plea to Andy Burnham could not be clearer. The Prime Minister has backed our Save Lives for Sam campaign. He should now meet these families and turn that support into change. Sam Haycock was just 16 when he drowned in 2021. His name must become a legacy that saves others, through mandatory life-saving equipment at danger spots and proper water safety education in schools. These families cannot rewrite their own stories. But ministers can help stop another family from being forced to live the same nightmare. PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough went to work to protect others. They should have gone home to their families. Instead, they were killed by a car hurtling the wrong way down the A66. Officer Blades was a husband, father and football coach preparing to train his son’s team. His colleague, PC Clough, was a former soldier remembered as kind, caring and decent. Behind this horror is an apparent disturbing social media trend, with videos appearing to show young men committing dangerous acts, fleeing police and risking lives for clicks. TikTok and other platforms cannot wash their hands of this. They have a responsibility to stop such dangerous content from becoming entertainment, gaining traction and inspiring copycats. No viral thrill is worth a life. Kevin Keegan gave football supporters something precious: the courage to dream. So it was fitting that Newcastle and Liverpool, the two clubs closest to his heart, united to remember him. King Kev made fans believe anything was possible. The emotion inside St James’ Park showed just how deeply that belief endures.