Patrons.

Sharron Davies MBE

Sharron has won medal as at every level including an Olympic silver and an MBE from the Queen for services to sport. She has had an incredibly long career in swimming, first representing her country at 13, racing in three Games in three different decades and now works poolside for the BBC. Tokyo 2021 was her 12th consecutive Olympic Games.

She has also been a regular on tv for over 30 years, presenting and appearing of shows like Dancing on ice, Bear Grylls The Island, The Big Breakfast, a Learn to Swim series for babies on This Morning as well as being Amazons on ITVs hugely popular show Gladiators. She’s a qualified PT and mum of three who’s passionate about fitness for all with the launch of her Sharron Davies Training program going on line in January 2022.

Sharron says… swimming is the most amazing sport that can be a life saver and fun for all the family that we can have 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 we can make sure everyone is more aware of water safety.

David Walker

It was at this point that I made contact with a wonderful woman called Beckie Ramsay and from that very day I have endeavoured to help and support Beckie with her fantastic Doing It for Dylan campaigns.

David leads the RoSPA programmes for drowning prevention and road harm reduction. This includes development of policy, campaigns and advice; overseeing the executive and programme support for the National Water Safety Forum, including the Water Incident Database (WAID). He is a principle author of the UK drowning prevention strategy, an external advisor to the recent Australian drowning prevention strategy and a technical contributor to a number of WHO and UK Government programmes.

David sits on the managing group for the Leisure Expert Panel in support of RoSPA’s contribution towards better sector safety regulation. David has previously worked on Commonwealth and Olympic Games, led and guided adventurous activities. Current programmes of interest include; supporting the development of the regulatory framework for E-Scooters & promotion of active travel; evaluation and application of AI/ ML technologies to drowning and road risk, crowd safety environments; revisions to a number of HSE and Government guidance.

David is boyhood member of The Salford Lads Club and a graduate from The University of Salford. He is married to Polly and lives in Birmingham with their two young children.

Dawn Whittaker Chief Fire Officer

UK National Fire Chief Council (NFCC) lead for Water Safety Member of the UK National Water Safety Forum (NWSF) Families Against Drowning – Facebook Group Advocate and administrator Drowning Prevention Advocate

I have been a Drowning Prevention advocate for many years, both in a professional and personal capacity and play an active role in leading work to improve water safety education and awareness in the UK, working with professionals, politicians, charities, families and communities.

Quote: “I am very pleased to be contributing to the support of DIFD as a charity advisor alongside some respected colleagues. I have known Beckie Ramsay BEM for many years and have seen first hand the dedication and hard work she has undertaken, in memory of her eldest son Dylan, to promote water safety. She has dedicated her life to ensuring less people drown and water safety education.”

Dr Jenny Smith: Reader in Performance Psychology

Area of expertise: Cognitive psychology / hazard perception / surveillance

Bio: Dr Jenny Smith is a Reader in Performance Psychology at the University of Chichester. She is a British Psychological Society (BPS) Chartered psychologist, a Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) Registered Sport and Exercise Psychologist and British Association of Sport and Exercise Science (BASES) accredited Sport and Exercise Scientist. Her research expertise lies in drowning prevention with a focus on eye tracking, cognitive processes, attention, and hazard detection. She has led and contributed to many peer-reviewed publications, book chapters and industry reports in the drowning prevention domain. She works in collaboration with the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK) and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).

Quote: “I have been aware of Beckie’s work for many years. As a fellow educator, and mum, I know that education is key in reducing drownings, and therefore I am absolutely delighted to join Beckie and the team in ensuring that children are taught how to be safe in and around the water.”

Mike Tipton MBE, PhD, MSc, FTPS

Professor of Human & Applied Physiology, Extreme Environments Laboratory, School of Sport Health & Exercise Science, University of Portsmouth, UK.

Professor Tipton has spent 35 years researching the areas of drowning and thermoregulation, environmental and occupational physiology and survival in the sea. He has published widely in these areas including the books, “The Essentials of Sea Survival” and “The Science of Beach Lifeguarding”.

Prof Tipton is a Trustee of Surf Lifesaving GB and Council member of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine and The Physiological Society, and was awarded: a MBE for services to physiological research in extreme environments; the Ireland Medal for saving lives from drowning worldwide and the H&L Swiftwater rescue lifetime achievement award from the USA. Professor Michael Tipton Professor of Human & Applied Physiology, University of Portsmouth

Quote: “I am delighted to support Becky in her mission to reduce the number of drownings, and support those who have lost friends and family to drowning. In so doing I want to support Becky in the magnificent work she has done, and is doing, in this area.”

Tommy Richardson

My name is Tommy Richardson I am a trained Firefighter and Swift Water Rescue Technician stationed at Byker Community Fire Station within Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service.

In 2013 I was a member of the Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service swift water rescue team that recovered the bodies of two girls who had drowned in a local river. This tragic experience had a profound impact on myself, and at that time not much was being done to promote and educate people… and I knew that had to change.

I resolved and put my mind to what could be done to prevent the unnecessary loss of life in open water within my local area and beyond.