Father of drowned teenager Sam Haycock tells students at Thrybergh Academy of open water swimming dangers

Simon Haycock’s 16-year-old son died after jumping into deep water last May while celebrating the end of Year 11 with his friends.

Simon has been campaigning ever since under the banner of the charity he founded, Sam’s Army Mission, for life-saving safety measures and open water safety awareness.  

The campaign involves attending public events alongside South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue and giving talks in schools.

The latest was a special assembly at Thrybergh Academy — just a stone’s throw from Thrybergh Country Park — where Simon talked about the dangers of swimming in open water, including cold water shock and unseen vegetation.

Helen Marshall. of Wickersley Partnership Trust, which runs Thrybergh, said: “He emphasised the need for students to always wear life jackets when boating or participating in other water activities and to not swim in open water.  

“Simon also stressed the importance of learning to swim, and encouraged students to take swimming lessons if they hadn’t already.

“The assembly was a great success, and the students were engaged and interested throughout.  

“They asked lots of questions and were eager to learn more about how to stay safe in and around water.”

Ms Marshall said the school was keen to encourage parents to talk to their children about water safety, “especially as we head into the summer months when there are still annual reports of young people swimming in Thrybergh Country Park and on Silverwood pit top”.

She added: “It is important to teach children about the dangers of water and how to stay safe.  

“This includes making sure they always wear a life jacket when boating or participating in other water activities, teaching them how to swim, and emphasising the importance of never swimming alone or without adult supervision.

“By working together and promoting water safety awareness, we can help prevent drowning incidents and keep our communities safe.”

Simon told the Advertiser last year that he had been shocked, while visiting Thrybergh Country Park while shooting a documentary as part of his campaign, to see young people swimming in the reservoir, revealing it brought on a sense of panic as he thought about what had happened to Sam.

As a result of the campaign, new throwline stations have been installed across the borough and a new barrier has been added to the bridge across Ulley Reservoir.

Vandalism of life-saving equipment remains a problem — South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue said the throwline padlock at Holmes Lock had needed replacing three times in a week last month after being cut off.

A spokesperson said the service was “incredibly disturbed” by the equipment being targeted.

One of the aims of Sam’s Army Mission is stiffer sentences for vandals in cases like these, with the issue having been raised in Parliament by Rotherham MP Sarah Champion.