Heartbroken mum whose son drowned in reservoir makes safety plea

A mother whose son drowned in Audenshaw Reservoir has urged others to be more aware of the risks of open water.

Twenty-year-old Dwayne Thompson died in hospital after getting into difficulty in 2018.

His mother, Amanda, described him as a ‘strong swimmer’ and now spends her time raising awareness, alongside her daughter and granddaughter, to highlight the dangers of entering the water, in a bid to prevent further avoidable deaths.

She has urged schools and councils to provide better education in regard to the dangers of swimming in open water, claiming that ‘not enough is done’.

“People say it gets easier, that time heals,” she says. “It’s coming up to five years now and it doesn’t, you just learn to hide it better.

“I read it every year and it breaks my heart, not just because another child’s gone but because I know what that mother or that father are feeling.

“I know what it’s like to have to hold your baby in the morgue and you’re praying for a miracle that’s just not going to happen. And there’s no coming back from that.

“It doesn’t just take the life of the child, it destroys the lives of everyone around them too. Their family, their friends.”

Over the summer last year, Amanda led a campaign to raise vital funds for safety equipment at the site.

Octavia, Dwayne’s niece, joins in lots of the campaigning and describes her uncle Dwayne as her ‘hero’.

Amanda's granddaughter Octavia at Audenshaw Reservoir 

Amanda’s appeal comes during the Royal Life Saving Society’s Drowning Prevention Week this week. Figures released show that 226 people in the UK accidentally drowned in 2022.

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service has also echoed the dangers during its own annual water safety campaign.

With the recent prolonged hot weather, the service has been busy spreading safety advice on the dangers of water, and what to do should anyone ever find someone, or themselves, in difficulty in water.

In the last decade, the number of water-related incidents that GMFRS have attended has doubled, and of those incidents 65 have sadly been fatal.

Billy Fenwick, Head of Prevention at GMFRS, said: “We want to educate people on the dangers of open water. Cold Water Shock can kill even strong swimmers, and people can become caught up in underwater hazards and drown.”

Educational messaging will continue throughout the summer.

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