Our Work in Westminster

Over the years we have worked tirelessly to lobby the Government to make it compulsory to include more water safety education on the national curriculum for all primary and secondary schools in England and Wales.

Our Patron, Lord Storey, has introduced a bill, the Water Safety (Curriculum) Bill, which aims to achieve the above, and this month the bill will have its second reading in the House of Lords.

Political Intern

In 2021 we appointed a Political Intern, Laura Anderson, who was based in Westminster working with Lord Storey. During the 12-month internship Laura was fantastic in helping us push on with our political lobbying.

Meet Laura Anderson:

“I assisted in drafting the ‘Water Safety (Curriculum)’ Bill put forward by Lord Storey, including drafting and scrutinising the bill’s content prior to its successful reading in June 2022.

“I spearheaded Parliamentary water safety campaigns, discussing national-level drowning prevention strategy for the UK, guided by the mission of RLSS UK. From discussions, I coordinated shoreline visits with MP’s in their communities. I further facilitated an incredibly successful event in Parliament during Drowning Prevention Week in June, with over 50 MPs in attendance and three Ministers, raising the importance of water safety before the peak swimming season.

“The role has offered me the privilege of working at the forefront of crucial education policy efforts, sharpened my policy research skills, and worked towards sustainable legislative change around lifesaving information. I am grateful to Lord Storey and the RLSS UK team for giving me the opportunity.

“I have now been hired as an analyst, advising large brands on human rights due diligence efforts.”

The internship was a 12-month contract and Chaima Akroum has now taken over from Laura in the position.

“My name is Chaima and I’m studying a Masters in European and International Public Policy at the London School of Economics. I have also been given the opportunity to act as a Political Intern for RLSS UK and as a Parliamentary Assistant to Lord Storey in the House of Lords.

“Since joining the RLSS UK team and Lord Storey’s Westminster office in October 2022, my activities have been varied, ranging from writing speeches on education policy to assisting on events and meetings. At the same time, I sit as the Secretariat of the Water Safety All-Party Parliamentary Group, which seeks to provide a forum for parliamentary discussion on water safety education. In my efforts to further support RLSS UK, I also regularly engage with MPs and Peers to organise visits to local schools and lifesaving clubs to raise awareness on the importance of drowning prevention strategies across the UK. More recently I have started to work on two exciting projects, namely Lord Storey’s Private Members’ Bill on mandatory water safety education in schools and the planning of a large parliamentary event during Drowning Prevention Week in June 2023.

“So far, I’ve acquired significant knowledge and developed useful skills by engaging with the ever-changing and fast-moving world of Parliament and I’m excited to see what the next months have in store for me!”