The mother of a 12-year-old girl from High Wycombe who drowned near Bournemouth Pier in May 2023 has remembered her daughter and called for more awareness of water safety one year after her death. 

Sunnah Khan, who was a student at Bourne End Academy when she passed away in the tragic incident on May 31, 2023, was described as a “really funny and happy young woman” by her mother Stephanie Williams last year.

Speaking to the Free Press in June 2023, Ms Williams said she was focused on preventing other parents from going through the same thing by spreading awareness of the dangers associated with sea and river swimming.

On the first anniversary of losing her daughter, she has renewed these calls in an interview with the BBC alongside the mother of 17-year-old Joe Abbess from Southampton, who lost his life on the same day as Sunnah.

Speaking to the broadcaster, Ms Williams said: “Every year when it gets warm, children drown and it’s preventable. It’s not enough to know how to swim.

“Sunnah was five foot six and she was just up to her chest. She was in the water with her siblings and her aunty, and they couldn’t touch the bottom suddenly.

“They tried to swim back to the shore, but they kept getting further away.”

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A previous inquest heard “suggestions” that a riptide had pulled the two swimmers to their deaths, but Ms Williams previously said she “can’t understand” how the incident happened on a crowded beach.

Adding: "I would absolutely hate for this to happen to anyone else. It's such an awful way to lose somebody's life because drowning is such a terrifying and painful experience.

"It shouldn't have happened. They were just swimming, and they were only chest-high in the water. People need to be very aware of how dangerous the sea can be, even when you're in shallow water on a beach with lifeguards."

The 12-year-old was described by her school as “bold and happy” after the tragic events of last May.

A spokesperson added: “As a student, Sunnah grew in confidence over her first 10 months at Bourne End.

“Her energetic character and fierce sense of loyalty meant she had built strong and positive relationships with her peers and teachers. She will be enormously missed.”

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council has earmarked part of Bournemouth beach for people to leave flowers and tributes in memory of Joe and Sunnah today (May 31).

A full inquest into the two deaths is due to take place in September.