Family water safety day held at Colwick Park today

Morning Briefing: Monday, 6th April

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Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service can be found on the playground at Colwick Country Park today, providing some levity whilst teaching youngsters important lessons on water safety.

Families can spend the day out in the park where there will be Easter-themed activities and ice cream. More importantly, there will be demonstrations to teach people - young and old - how to use the flotation devices near the water's edge. A spokesperson for the Service told us that footballs, sticks, and everyday items can also be used in a pinch, which is just one of the potentially life-saving lessons being taught today.

Only the firefighters will be getting wet today. Families will watch the demonstrations from dry land.

There will also be emergency vehicles for children to get a close-up look.

Swimming in the lakes around Colwick is not permitted outside of organised, supervised swimming sessions, despite this the lakes are often busy on warmer days. The National Fire Chiefs Council's Be Water Aware campaign kicks off later this month, and it expresses the dangers of innocuous-looking waters: they're often much colder than you expect causing shock, there are hidden dangers underneath, and underwater currents can be completely hidden but nonetheless strong.

Colwick Country Park is especially touched by these dangerous waters. In April last year, a 16-year-old Nottingham College student died after getting into difficulty while swimming. The Fire and Rescue Service told us that one of the reasons they're running this event now is that the park rangers have expressed concern about children playing too close to the water. The risks can be mitigated with proper training, like the kind available today.

The event is free to attend and runs from 12pm until 3pm. There are places to lock up bicycles near the small lake, near Wired on Wheels which is open especially for Easter Monday.