Timely with the warmer weather across the UK this summer, a mother is launching a charity in honour of her son’s life after tragically losing him almost year ago to drowning.
Rebecca Hinde lost her 8-year-old son, Joshua Hillstead, to drowning in River Arrow in Alvechurch, Alcester, on 23 July 2024. Marking the first anniversary since his death, Becky is founding The Joshua Hillstead Foundation charity.
The newly founded charity will be launched on Saturday 26 July at Wythall Park for a memorable day. Filled with fun activities for children, there will also be local food stalls on hand for everyone to enjoy.
Becky’s mission and determination to fight for wider water safety awareness has seen her support national charity, the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK), with initiatives such as Water Smart Schools, to help share free education with young children.
In June, Becky also went to Westminster, joining RLSS UK to help lobby at Parliament for class-based water safety education to be included across all schools in the National Curricula in England.
Becky Hinde, speaking on the launch of The Joshua Hillstead Foundation, said: “The 22nd July 2024 was the day my life changed forever. At around 9:30pm, I received a call that ensured life would never be the same again.
“My lovely son Joshua had fallen into the River Arrow and was being taken to Birmingham Children’s Hospital. His heart had stopped beating, but paramedics had got it beating again. Once at the hospital, he suffered a pulmonary haemorrhage and was having seizures.
“He was put onto a ventilator and the doctors worked tirelessly but unfortunately he stopped responding and we had to make the hardest decision to turn off the machines and let him go. He passed away on 23rd July at 10:46pm, the day before his ninth birthday.
“As Joshua’s mother, a piece of me died that day too. Every day my heart breaks all over again. I will never get to see my son again, I will never get to kiss or cuddle my child again and I will never get to see him grow into a man. He will never get to grow up, fall in love or feel how wonderful it is to hold your own child. He had so much life ahead of him and I’m so proud to have been his mum.
“He was the most wonderful, kind caring boy with so much love for his family. I see now just how loved he was and how many people are feeling the deep pain of his loss, his sister trying to reconcile with not being able to save him and living without the person she was the closest to, his little brother who tells me all the time that he misses his Joshy, and his friends trying to understand a loss that they should never have to feel at such a young age.
“I couldn’t be there to help save my son as he wasn’t with me at the time of the accident, so now my goal is to help other families and prevent others from feeling the devastation we feel every day.
“In honour of Joshua, my family and I have created The Joshua Hillstead Foundation. Our aim is to help raise awareness and empower children through education on the dangers of natural waterways.
“We want to introduce comprehensive water safety and first aid in schools across the UK in order to prevent any further accidents such as Joshua’s.
Our goal is to help all children to understand undercurrents, tides, ice, cold water shock, whilst also highlighting surrounding dangers such as sand banks, rocks, weeds and sudden drops. We endeavour to give them the knowledge and tools to keep themselves and others safe around water.
“People say to me that they couldn’t imagine what it’s like to lose your child, I hope no-one ever does – it’s a pain that never goes away. It’s complete desperation for so many things we take for granted every day, from a cuddle, to a kiss or even just to smell his scent. It’s being completely lost and not knowing what to do because there’s no words or actions that will ever take this feeling away.
“We strongly feel that water safety should be a part of the National Curriculum as there are too many accidents occurring every year where children are drowning. Even one child drowning is too many. This is so very important and is needed to ensure that no other parent has to feel the way I feel.
“We need to educate our children to help keep them safe. We can’t be there for them 24/7 but we can definitely give them the skills and knowledge to keep them safe.”