Dog, Duck & Fish Just Giving Campaign

We, here at OWEN Open Water Education Network, have set up a Just Giving appeal for the first print run of ‘Dog, Duck & Fish’, a rhyming, picture book which teaches little ones (and their grown ups) important messages about water safety, hidden within a whimsical tale of an overconfident dog, who happens to love a good swim.

Written and illustrated by Nottingham based animator, Sophie Johnson-Hill (Sojo Animation), who teamed up with children from Trent Vale infants school (the school that Owen used to attend). The children helped Sophie develop the story and inspired much of the artwork in the book with their excellent drawings.

‘The adventures of Dog, Duck & Fish: At the river’ has already made it into animation form thanks to the generous funding from Speedo.
Now we need your help to be able to transform it into print!

As summer approaches it is even more pressing that more children and their families learn about the hidden dangers of Open Water, so that they might opt for designated, monitored Open Water swimming spots to enjoy rather than making potentially fatal choices.

Your donations will help us reach our goal and get this book printed and into all schools around the East midlands and hopefully the WHOLE of the UK.

The first book in the series is At the River, this is very close to my heart as my son drowned on 10th July 2017 after 2 of his friends got into difficulty at Beeston weir in the river trent at Beeston Nottingham.

My son Owen did not know the dangers and thought his only option was to enter the water to rescue the girls, after rescuing the first girl he went back in for the second but sadly the rivers under currents were too strong and they dragged him under the water. Our worst fears became reality and Owen drowned. Owen was just 12 years old.