Holidays: Safety advice after teen's death

Teenagers heading on their first holiday with friends will get advice on staying safe abroad after an 18-year-old died in a popular Spanish resort.

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

The bilingual education packs created with the Channon family are being sent to schools and colleges across Wales.

Tom's mum, Cheri Channon, said: "We all want our youngsters to go away, have fun and come home."

"We wanted that with Tom and the worst possible thing happened to us," she added.

"For us, this is Tom's legacy. Tom would have achieved great things and this is his achievement now, that he'll hopefully make more and more people aware that when they go away, there are dangers."

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

His body was found the next morning at the Eden Roc apartment complex near to where he was staying.

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

Safety improvements have since been made at the Eden Roc complex.

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

It contains a series of videos which include interviews with Tom's parents and some of his closest friends.

A further video also highlights common holiday scenarios and advice on the best ways to enjoy a holiday safely.

It is hoped the material will be used in well-being and pastoral sessions to prompt further discussion among students about how to enjoy their holiday with friends safely.

At St David's Catholic College, Cardiff, where Tom studied for his A-levels, students have already had the opportunity to experience the new holiday safety session.

Iago Parish has planned a short break away with friends after his A-level exams this summer.

He said: "Even though you might not think about all the dangers and the risks, you just have to be careful because something can happen to anyone really."

Another sixth-form student, Hedagwi Gwom, said: "When you think you have an opportunity to go on holiday, you might think you have the same freedom as you'd have here.

"But a lot of people don't realise that you don't have the same freedom."

"You're comfortable and perfectly aware in your home city or home town, but you can't take as many risks abroad because it's not the same environment at all."

Vinay Yadh said: "There are a lot of valuable points we've gathered form this session like 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 need to be prepared."

Honours and pastoral teacher at the college, Paul Thomas, said: "I've taught PSE in pastoral lessons across schools in Wales, but I've never taught anything on safety abroad.

"It's so poignant for this age group. It's their first time abroad, it's a rite of passage of a person going from a youngster to an adult and it's never been approached before as far as I know in pastoral lessons.

"The videos are a really good stimulus, I let the students talk it through and maybe the penny drops and they have a safer holiday.

"I think all students, not just in Wales but across the UK, should be taught this. The message is key and I think it's essential and needs to be taken seriously."

Minister for Education Jeremy Miles said: "John and Ceri Channon have shown tremendous courage following the tragic death of their son, Tom and the family continues to do important work in raising awareness of accidents which can happen on holiday.

"I'm pleased Welsh government could 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 trips away.

"We will be making the safety campaign materials available on our Hwb platform, so that all schools and colleges have access to them."