A week of swimming lessons and competition are to be held with safety in mind.

Drowning Prevention Week is an annual event from the Royal Life Saving Society UK designed to educate and train children on the dangers in or around water and the necessary safety practices. The ultimate aim of these practices is to reduce the number of drowning related deaths in the UK, a leading cause of accidental death with children.

Hosted by Sport Aberdeen, the week will launch with a Rookie Festival at Cults Swimming Pool on the 27^th of June. The event will see 40 children in nine teams, aged 9-14, competing for medals by reacting to practice emergency situations. Two Sport Aberdeen teams will take part on the day with three teams representing the International School and four from the Cults Lifesaving Club.

The rest of the week will host a variety of safety related lessons at various venues throughout the city. Targeted for children aged five upwards, the lessons will educate them on the safety code at locations other than just swimming pools including beaches and rivers. Participants will also have the opportunity to put what they have learned into practice with rehearsal emergencies.