After a devastating series of drownings during a period of warm weather in spring 2026, the Daily Mirror launched its Save Lives for Sam campaign, calling for urgent action to prevent children and young people losing their lives in open water. The campaign is named after Sam Haycock, 16, who drowned in Ulley Reservoir near Rotherham in 2021.

The Mirror highlighted the scale of the issue, reporting that around 33 children die in open water every year across the UK, roughly the size of a school class. In just one week during the May heatwave, 19 people died in water-related incidents, including 13 children and young people, prompting calls for the government to treat drowning as a preventable public health issue.

At the heart of the campaign were bereaved families determined to prevent other families experiencing the same loss. Leading the calls was Sam’s father, Simon Haycock, who has spent years campaigning to improve water safety awareness following his son’s death. He was joined by families including those of Mackenzie Swift, 11, who drowned during the May heatwave, and Tyler Wilson, whose family suffered a second drowning tragedy in the same river where another relative had died years earlier.

The campaign quickly gathered support from across the water safety sector. Backers included the RNLI, Royal Life Saving Society UK, Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, National Water Safety Forum, Swim England, The Swimming Alliance and the Black Swimming Association, alongside MPs, water safety experts and bereaved families.

High-profile sporting figures also lent their voices. Olympic champions Becky Adlington and Tom Dean, along with elite swimmer Michael Gunning, backed the campaign.

The campaign called on the government to introduce a package of measures, including a national public awareness campaign, compulsory water safety education in schools, improved lifesaving equipment at high-risk sites, a new “Sam’s Law” requiring safety equipment around dangerous bodies of water, and the appointment of a dedicated Minister for Water Safety.

As momentum grew, the campaign achieved tangible results. TikTok donated £400,000 in advertising credit to the RNLI and RLSS UK, enabling the charities to reach teenagers and young adults with potentially life-saving water safety advice. The campaign also helped secure political backing, with Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson encouraging schools to teach water safety before the summer holidays, while successive Prime Ministers publicly supported efforts to raise awareness of the dangers of open water.

By the summer holidays, the Mirror had spoken to 18 bereaved families, all of whom signed an open letter calling on the Prime Minister to meet them and take action.

Through powerful reporting, campaigning journalism and the voices of families determined to create change from tragedy, the Daily Mirror’s Save Lives for Sam campaign put water safety firmly on the national agenda and helped drive a wider conversation about preventing avoidable deaths in and around water.