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The tragic death of Joshua Hillstead, eight, and another Midlands teen has led to warnings over the deceptive dangers of open water.




THE dangers of the River Arrow in Alcester need to be highlighted following the death last week of eight-year-old Josh Hillstead, his stepmother has urged.

Both Josh’s sister and stepmother, Emma Hillstead, also entered the river behind Kingfisher Way last Monday (22nd July), but while they were able to get out, sadly Josh was not.

While the Arrow is shallow in many areas through Alcester, other parts are deeper and there can be unseen dangers under the water.

In a social media post, Mrs Hillstead said: “My absolute mission on Josh’s behalf is to get something to highlight the dangers of the depth of that part of the river.

Josh Hillstead
Josh Hillstead

“Both myself and my stepdaughter nearly didn’t make it back out of the river on Monday evening after going in after Josh. It looks beautiful but is so very dangerous.”

‘A lovely boy, loved by all’ is how Josh’s family are remembering him as they deal with his terrible loss. He tragically died in his father’s arms at Birmingham Children’s Hospital last Tuesday (23rd July) after getting into difficulties in the River Arrow the previous evening.

Sharing his tribute and photos of his son via the Alcester community Facebook page, Josh’s father Carl Hillstead said last Thursday: “Today, on what should have been Josh's ninth birthday, his family wanted to pay tribute to a wonderful son, brother, nephew, grandson and friend. He was a cheeky chappy, loved by so many and will be best remembered as a ‘lovely boy, loved by us all’.

Communities in Alcester and south Birmingham, where Josh went to school and some of his family lived, also added their tributes and condolences.

A vigil was held at St Nicholas Church, Alcester, on Saturday night to remember Josh. More than 120 people attended the service, led by the Rev Katie Cross, and took the opportunity to light candles for Josh and sign the book of condolences.

Josh Hillstead
Josh Hillstead

Cards and messages have also been left in a tree near to where the incident happened and these will be passed to Josh’s family for his memory box.

Meanwhile family friend Kyle Hotchkins set up a GoFundMe page to help the family. It was almost at its £9,000 target as the Herald went to press.

Mr Hotchkins said: “I have spoken to Josh’s dad and I want to give them help, so they do not have to worry about anything whilst they are going through this horrendous tragedy.”

Josh attended the Coppice Primary School and Nursery in Shawhurst Lane, Hollywood.

His headteacher, Billy Hutt, said Josh will “leave a hole in the school community” as he paid tribute to the boy with the “beautiful smile”.

In a statement, Mr Hutt said: “We were deeply shocked to hear the news that one of our pupils had sadly lost their life as a result of a tragic accident. Our thoughts and sympathies are with Joshua’s family and friends at this very sad time.

“We will make sure that we surround Joshua’s family with our love, care and compassion and will make sure that we are there for them every day. Joshua had a beautiful smile.

“He had a strong friendship group and his relationships with them were based on kindness and enthusiasm for life. Joshua had an ability to connect with others and, as a result, he would always contribute positively to group situations and was always willing to lend a helping hand to any of his friends when they required it. This is why he was so popular and well-thought of.”

He added: “The loss of Joshua has left a hole in our school community which we will never be able to fill and we now need to concentrate on ensuring that we support Joshua's family and siblings in every way we can.”

Josh Hillstead
Josh Hillstead

The land alongside the River Arrow where the three ended up in the river is owned by Alcester Town Council, who declined to comment on any investigations or safety concerns.

However, Alcester mayor Cllr Mike Bowe said: “The loss of a child is devastating and our thoughts and prayers are with everyone who knew Joshua. We send our sincere condolences to the family.”

Alcester councillor and district council leader Susan Juned added: “The news of this tragedy has hit so many people in this close-knit community. To lose a child at such a young age is heartbreaking and my condolences go to his family and their friends.”

Sadly, another young person drowned in the Midlands the day after Josh died – the body of 16-year-old Tyrese Johnson was recovered on 24th July after he got into difficulties in Lodge Farm Reservoir, Netherton, near Dudley.

Following the double tragedy, retired British Olympic swimmer Alice Dearing urged people to only swim where it is safe. Ms Dearing, 27, who specialises in open water swimming and became the first black woman to swim for Great Britain at an Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021, made the comments in Worcester on Monday.

Referring to the deaths of the two boys as “very tragic”, she said: “These are really sad cases. There’s quite a few statistics around this where about half of drownings happen in June, July and August when the weather gets warm. Cold water shock is a serious issue.

“We always advise the people please, please, please, don’t ever jump into water. Only swim where it’s lifeguarded, only somewhere it’s safe.”

Speaking last week, Matt Croxall, charity director of the Royal Life Saving Society UK, said: “We tend to see an increase in drownings as the weather gets warmer and in light of the two recent tragic drownings we’ve seen, it’s more important than ever that everybody has the tools to enjoy water safely this summer and beyond.

“More than half of accidental drownings have occurred at inland open water sites – and many of these drownings occur due to a lack of knowledge and understanding of open water safety.

“By taking simple steps and following the Water Safety Code and making people aware of what they need to take into account before they get in, and when they are in the water will save lives – knowing the risks associated and your limits could make all the difference.”



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