Exclusive
Mother of 12-year-old girl who drowned at Bournemouth beach ‘wouldn’t wish this pain on anyone’
ITV Meridian's Matt Teale speaks exclusively with Sunnah's mother, Stephanie Williams.
The mother of a 12-year-old girl who drowned at Bournemouth beach two weeks ago said she wouldn’t wish this pain on anyone.
The two youngsters were airlifted to hospital, but died a short time later.
In her first television interview since the tragedy, Sunnah’s mother Stephanie Williams has spoken exclusively to ITV Meridian to help warn others of the dangers of the water.
Sunnah was on a day out with her father and older brother during half term.
Stephanie was about to leave work at around 7pm that day when she got the phone call.
“It was Sunnah’s dad.
“He sounded upset and I thought he was talking to the children when he asked me to sit down.
“He told me we’ve lost Sunnah, but I didn’t really understand what he meant – I didn’t realise he meant that she had died.
“I went straight from work to Bournemouth where I got to see her. It’s two and a half hours from here to there, it was a really hard drive.
Sunnah often spent time at Bournemouth beach with her family.
“Sunnah was very cheeky, very talkative and confident.
“She was very protective of her family – proud of her mixed heritage.
“She was just loved by everyone. She had friends in places I didn’t even realise.
“When we turned her phone back on she had more than two thousand messages. She loved Tik Tok, she loved Snapchat.
“She was just lovely – beautiful not just on the outside but on the inside as well.”
Stephanie says although Sunnah was the younger sibling, she often seemed older than her brother and would take care of him.
“Whenever she was there, I always felt ok as I knew she would look out for him.”
Sunnah, who her mum described as particularly sociable, spent a lot of time with her cousins and friends from school.
Paying tribute to the members of the public and emergency workers who tried desperately to save Sunnah’s life, Stephanie said: “I can’t even imagine what it must have been like for those people to experience first hand.
“I would like to say thank you to those people.
“I find it comforting to know that they made such an effort. I’m grateful to everybody who played a part in that day.”
Stephanie Williams pays tribute to the people who tried to save her daughter’s life
Bournemouth beach is patrolled by lifeguards and Sunnah was swimming between the flags, but Stephanie says she wants to warn others that the water can still be dangerous.
“Make sure you know what to do if you get into trouble in the water.”
The RNLI has recently launched its Float to Live campaign which Stephanie praised but says more awareness is needed.
“Those signs should be there on the beach. You should be able to see it when it’s on the beach.
“It’s easy to tell people what to do but three weeks might go by and then they forget. If you get into a panic in the water and you can see that information right there, it might make no difference but it might make a difference.”
Stephanie said she would like to campaign for more awareness of water safety advice.
“This pain, I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.
“It happens every year. But it shouldn’t happen.
“They weren’t even in deep water, they were in shallow water, so anything I can do to reduce the number of times it happens. One person is too many.”
“She was a lovely baby, an easy baby.
“She was a lovely toddler and a lovely young child at all stages of her life, and she would have become a lovely woman.
“She cared about a lot of people, and it’s such a shame that she’s not going to become the young lady that I thought she would be.”
If you have been affected and are in need of support you can contact the following organisations:
Samaritans - 116 123
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...