23/06/2026
⚠️ “It will never happen to you… until it does.”
As the weather warms up, we’re seeing more young people heading to open water to cool off – rivers, lakes and locks that can look calm and inviting on the surface, but hide very real dangers beneath.
One of our PCSOs has put their thoughts into words in this powerful poem, reflecting on the tragic reality that too many families have faced. It’s not about stopping young people enjoying the summer – it’s about helping them stay safe and come home.
Please take a moment to read and share. It could make all the difference. 💙
When I was young,
I thought danger belonged to somebody else.
To the faces on the news
To the stories whispered by adults
To the families standing beside graves
The water sparkled
The sun shone
Laughter was filled across riverbanks and lakes
After all,
It will never happen to you,
Until it does.
There was a boy
Fourteen years old
An age where life should stretch endlessly ahead
Filled with first loves
First jobs
Driving lessons
I won’t pretend I knew him well.
But our paths crossed through familiar circles,
And through mutual faces
His friends tried
But cold water does not care how desperately someone reaches out
Strong currents do not pause for panic
Time does not slow when a life is slipping away
And despite every effort,
He never came home.
To this day,
I still see his grave tended by his family
Flowers replaced
Memories refreshed
A love that has never faded
A future that never arrived
Because it will never happen to you,
Until it does.
Open water is beautiful
That’s the problem
It doesn’t look dangerous
It glistens
It invites children to get in
To swim
To cool off on days when the heat feels unbearable
It invites you in
And what could be the harm?
Just a quick dip
Just a little fun
Just one hot summer afternoon
But beneath the surface are hidden currents,
Sudden drops
Cold water shock
Entanglements unseen
Hazards that don’t announce themselves
Hazards that don’t care how confident you are
Because it will never happen to you
Until it does.
Over recent times we have heard on the news, nineteen children have lost their lives to this glistening water
Nineteen families
Nineteen bedrooms left untouched
Nineteen dinner tables with an empty chair
Nineteen mornings that began like any other,
And ended with lives changed forever
They were children too
Children laughing with friends
Children making memories
Children enjoying the sunshine
Children who never expected their day
To be their last
Just like the young people who gather at Houghton Lock
Just like the teenagers sitting by the water
Just like every child who believes
They’ll be home in time for dinner
Until they aren’t
Because it will never happen to you
Until it does.
This is not a plea to stop having fun
Far from it
Childhood should be filled with adventure,
With laughter
With memories made beneath endless summer skies
But warnings are not there to spoil joy
They are there to protect it
We speak because we’ve seen the consequences of silence
We remind because we’ve witnessed the heartbreak
We share these stories because somebody else’s child
Never got the chance to grow older
So, enjoy the sunshine
Make memories
Laugh until your sides hurt
But choose places where help is close by
Choose waters watched by trained eyes
Choose safety over chance
Because no parent ever imagines
Their child won’t come home
No friend expects a normal day
To become a lifelong nightmare
No family believes tragedy is waiting for them
We all think the same thing
It won’t happen to us
Until it does
And when it does,
The water keeps flowing
The sun still sets
The world moves on
But for one family
Time stands still
So please be careful
Please be aware
Come home
Because the most powerful lesson
Open water has ever taught us is this
It will never happen to you
Until it does.
