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Holidays: Safety advice after teen’s death

Teens heading off on their first holiday with friends are given advice on staying safe abroad after an 18-year-old died in a popular Spanish holiday resort.

Tom Channon fell 70 feet (21 m) over a knee-high wall in Magaluf on his first trip abroad with friends in 2018.

Created with the Channon family, the bilingual educational packs are sent to schools and colleges across Wales.

Tom’s mother, Cheri Channon, said, “We all want our kids to go out and have fun and come home.”

“We wanted that with Tom and the worst happened to us,” she added.

“For us, this is Tom’s legacy. Tom would have done a great job and that’s his accomplishment now, hopefully making more and more people aware that there’s danger in walking away.”

  • Safety changes after teenager falls in Magaluf
  • Teen ‘fell over wall’ to death

Tom, from Rhoose, Vale of Glamorgan, fell over the knee-high wall of an apartment complex in Magaluf after deciding to return to his hotel alone after a night out with his friends.

His body was found the next morning in the Eden Roc apartment complex near his accommodation.

In 2019, a coroner concluded that if simple safety measures had been taken, Tom’s death could have been avoided.

Since then, security improvements have been made in the Eden Roc complex.

The Stay Aware, Stay Safe, Stay Together campaign provides practical information for young people planning their first independent journey.

It features a series of videos that feature interviews with Tom’s parents and some of his closest friends.

Another video also sheds light on common holiday scenarios and gives tips on how to best enjoy your holiday safely.

It is hoped that the material will be used in wellbeing and pastoral care sessions to stimulate further discussion among students on how to safely enjoy holidays with friends.

At St David’s Catholic College in Cardiff, where Tom was graduating from high school, students have already had the opportunity to witness new safety training for the holiday season.

Iago Parish has been planning a getaway with friends this summer after graduating from high school.

He said: “Even if you don’t think about all the dangers and risks, you just have to be careful because something can really happen to anyone.”

Another sixth grader, Hedagwi Gwom, said: “If you think you have the opportunity to go on holiday, you might think you have the same freedom as you have here.

“But a lot of people don’t realize that you don’t have the same freedom.”

“You’re comfortable in your hometown or hometown and you’re totally aware, but you can’t take as many risks abroad because it’s not the same environment at all.”

Vinay Yadh said, “There are many valuable points we gleaned from this session, such as being aware of your surroundings and keeping your passport safe.”

Ethan Baff added, “I found the session really quite eye-opening. It can happen to anyone and anything can go wrong, so you have to be prepared.”

College honors and pastoral teacher Paul Thomas said: “I have taught PSE in pastoral classes in schools in Wales but I have never taught anything about safety abroad.

“It’s so poignant for this age group. It is her first time abroad, it is a rite of passage of a person going from a youth to an adult and as far as I know it has never been addressed in pastoral teaching before.

“The videos are a really good stimulus, I let the students talk about it and maybe the penny will drop and they will have a safer holiday.

“I think all pupils, not just in Wales but across the UK, should be taught this. The message is key and I think it is important and needs to be taken seriously.”

Education Secretary Jeremy Miles said: “John and Ceri Channon have shown tremendous courage following the tragic death of their son, Tom and the family continue to do important work to raise awareness of accidents that can happen on holiday.

“I am delighted that the Welsh Government has been able to work with the Channon family to promote the ‘Stay Aware, Stay Safe, Stay Together’ campaign which provides some really practical information for young people planning their first independent travels.

“We will make the safety campaign materials available on our hwb platform for all schools and colleges to access.”

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