A mother has launched a charity in memory of her 13-year-old son, Dylan Ramsey, who drowned 10 years ago.

Mum, Beckie Ramsey, has launched ‘Doing it for Dylan’ on the eve of what would have been his 24th birthday.

The charity aims to raise awareness about water safety, support individual families, helping to fund counselling and therapy and to create learning material for schools.

 

It has set an initial fundraising target of £250,000 to fund three years of operations.

Its first patron is former olympic swimmer and television star, Sharron Davies, and its committee includes David Walker, who leads the drowning prevention programme at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.

The charity’s advisory board numbers a wealth of leading safety experts.

Lancashire Telegraph: Dylan Ramsey drowned in 2011Dylan Ramsey drowned in 2011

Dylan, a pupil at Parklands High School in Chorley, was a talented athlete who Beckie described as “a strong lad and a very capable swimmer”.

But when he and two friends went swimming in a local quarry on a hot July Sunday back in 2011, he got into trouble.

“They had been in the water for around 20 minutes, swimming around as hundreds of young lads do every single year,” said Beckie.

Dylan shouted for help and one friend called 999. A group of men planning on diving there saw his distress and ran down the hill, stripping off their clothes as they went, to help Dylan.

One pulled Dylan onto a small island in the quarry and started to perform CPR until the emergency services arrived.

But they were all too late. After having been under the water for just three minutes, Dylan was pronounced dead.

 

 

Beckie said: “When I walked into that mortuary and saw my beautiful first-born son lifeless, not breathing, not moving just looking perfect, I could not hold myself together.

“I hugged his chest and held him so tight. I sobbed and begged him to come back to us. I told him right there and then that I would not let his death be in vain.”

Beckie learned everything she could about drowning prevention and began a solo, self-funded safety campaign to help prevent other families going through such a harrowing experience.

Lancashire Telegraph: Beckie Ramsay promoting water safetyBeckie Ramsay promoting water safety

She has spoken about water safety in schools, colleges, universities and meetings all around the country and has presented to more than 180,000 children.

Sharron Davies: “Swimming is the most amazing sport that can be a life-saver and fun for all the family from cradle to grave. But, we have to respect the water and understand that terrible things can happen when we least expect them.

“Doing it for Dylan is a wonderful charity, raising awareness and helping with constructive ways so we can make sure everyone is more aware of water safety.”

Find out more about the Doing it for Dylan charity and campaign on their Facebook page. 


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