The BSA Motto
Posted: 16.02.26
The BSA motto is a simple one: ‘Saving lives through water safety and drowning prevention’
Over the last five years, the BSA has stayed true to it’s mission, leading hundreds of people looking to begin their water journey to the water’s edge. The majority of those who sign up for BSA programmes join due to a lack of swimming ability, a lack of knowledge and a lack of confidence in the water. Whether it is due to past traumas and fears, or cultural stereotypes keeping them out of the water, our participants are largely unaware of just how important water safety is as a life skill. That is why we exist. To help those on the margins find their place in the water.
Every year, around 400 people accidentally drown in the UK 1. Many of these victims are people who had no intention of entering the water, yet due to a lack of knowledge and skill, they were left helpless when such skills mattered most. From 2019 to 2024, there were a staggering 1602 water related fatalities 2. Over half of these water related deaths were accidental in nature, again emphasising the need for water safety education and training.
In 2021, the BSA commissioned #OurSwimStory, a pioneering social research project that investigated the lived experiences, attitudes and perceptions of Black and Brown adults and their relationship with water safety and aquatic activity. After surveying and interviewing more than 1,400 adults across seven cities in England and Wales, our team began to form a broader picture and consequently, a broader understanding of why people from African, Asian and Caribbean backgrounds were less likely to swim or engage with the water than their white counterparts.
We found that 48% of survey respondents said that they did not know how to stay safe in the water 3. In our 2024, our Research and Insights team analysed Sport England's Active Lives report where we saw that in England, 96% of Black adults and 95% of Asian adults did not swim on a regular basis, both higher than the 90% of White people in England 4.
The reason these numbers matter, and the reason that we do what we do and serve who we serve is because for so long these communities, our communities, have been underserved and overlooked in the aquatics space. Harmful stereotypes such as “Black people can’t swim” or “Black people can’t float cause they have heavy bones” have kept Black and Brown people alike out of the water. And over generations, that lack of inclusion has led to misinformation and fear being seeded into the hearts and minds of too many people. The BSA is here to let you know that we all have a place in the water. No matter your background, social status, race or heritage - the water can be for you.
Our motto is more than a slogan that you see after our name or in a social media post. It is our calling and our responsibility. We strive to provide water safety knowledge and drowning prevention skills to our BSA community as best we can. Our team is constantly working; whether it be quietly through advocacy or through our programmes and research work that we make accessible to all. And as this community grows, so does the need for readers like you to help spread the word and champion this mission.
Welcome to the BSA Community.
1 UK's Drowning Prevention Strategy
2 WAID
