Mother of tragic teen who drowned in quarry nominated for petition of the year

Rebecca Ramsay, whose 13-year-old son Dylan drowned in a quarry in 2011 has never given up, not even letting a heart attack last year stop her, in her quest to help warn of the dangers of swimming in places such as quarries and other open water locations.

She said: "I am thrilled to have been nominated.

"We are raising awareness continuously and that is all I ever wanted to do.

"It's taken a decade to be heard but finally we are here!

"Just like I promised. I'm sure as I can be that your death was not in vain.

"You're making history young man. We're doing it Dylan!"

The Petition Campaign of the Year Award celebrates the inspiring people who have used petitions started on Parliament’s petitions website to build support for their campaigns for change. Beckie’s nomination follows her campaigning on the issue of water safety.

The petition received more than 108,000 signatures.

In the ten years since Dylan’s death, Rebecca has worked with the police and sector bodies such as the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RLNI) to raise awareness of the risks of open water. She has also spoken about water safety to over 180,000 children in schools, and was awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) for ‘services to the Prevention of Water Related Accidents’.

Ahead of the petition being debated in Parliament, the Chair of the Petitions Committee, Catherine McKinnell MP invited her and other families affected by drowning to share their experiences with her in a virtual roundtable.

The Your UK Parliament Awards judging panel will select the winners shortly, with the full list of nominees and the winner will be announced in due course.

Rebecca, who has also set up a Families Against Drowning (FAD) Facebook page for those who have lost loved ones to drowning and water safety advocates, was awarded the BEM (Order of the British Empire Medal) in the 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours List for her services to the Prevention of Water Related Accidents and has been nominated to become a Batonbearer for the Birmingham 2022 Queen's Bday Relay.