A mother who lost her beloved teenage son in a river tragedy is warning youngsters to take care when cooling off during the summer holidays.
The tragic death of 13-year-old Robert Hattersley at the weekend has brought back painful memories for County Durham mam-of-four Fiona Gosling.
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Her son, Cameron, who was 14, died from cold water shock after jumping into the River Wear near Bishop Auckland seven years ago.
His heart stopped beating because he had not acclimatised to the temperature.
Mrs Gosling, from Crook, said the heartbreaking news of a death in River Tyne on Sunday brought it all back.
She told The Northern Echo: “You do tend to take an interest when there is something like this happening, especially with it being quite local.
“For me, it is like reliving our story all over again, especially seeing some of the stuff that the kids have posted.
“They said they tried to help but they could not hold on any longer.”
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Mrs Gosling, 45, lives with husband Sean, 47, and they have three other sons, Cyle, 23, Curtis, 20, and Connor, 17.
Cameron would have been 22 now and Mrs Gosling has used the tragedy to warn school children of the dangers of jumping into cold water ever since the tragedy.
She has spoken to tens of thousands of primary and secondary school pupils around the region over the years.
Robert Hattersley, who was from Crawcrook and attended Thorp Academy in Ryton, died after he was swept away beneath Ovingham Bridge, near Prudhoe.
Mrs Gosling said she can understand how his parents must be feeling as they come to terms with their grief.
She said: “It is so similar to our situation. I read about it now and I can imagine what his family are going through.
“We are still going through it seven years on. It is such a traumatic time that they are never going to forget
“I had to go into what I call ‘survival mode’ because everyone around me was falling apart. I had to be a strong person and not show my emotions.
“I had to have time to process things. It is so hard. I really feel for them.”
Mrs Gosling has her own water safety mission, Campaigning for Cam, and also supports the Safe Durham Partnership as part of its Dying to be Cool initiative, which urges young people not to go into open water without acclimatising.
She said: “One minute you are enjoying yourself and the next your world is turned upside down.
“When I go into schools I never, ever say ‘stay out of the water’ because that is not for me to say and the reality is we are never going to stop it happening.
“We live in an area where there is water within a couple of miles from wherever you are and the attraction is always going to be there.”
Mrs Gosling’s advice is to make sure swimmers can go out of the water, to acclimatise to the temperature before jumping in, and to make sure they are somewhere that emergency services can access if they are needed.
She said: “Never ever jump straight in because the shock of the cold water can stop the heart. You have to get used to it gradually.
“I am all for people having a good time, but they have to do it safely.”
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