Eleven-year-old Mackenzie Swift was one of the 19 victims of drowning during the last ‘catastrophic’ heatwave. Here his mum and dad speak to the Mirror as they try and save other children.
A heartbroken mum and dad said the âbottom of our world fell outâ after their little boy drowned in the last ‘catastrophic’ heatwave. Michael Swift and Suzie Gough have broken their silence to urge families to avoid the open water after their 11-year-old ‘little rock’ and ‘sensitive soul’ died.
They told the Mirror, never in their wildest dreams did they think Mackenzie, would ever go anywhere near a river. But during the last blistering heatwave Mackenzie, known as âKenzie,â stopped playing outside his home and cycled with a pal to a river just a mile away.
He dropped his bike on a little area called âPebble Beach,â took his shoes and top off and went into the water despite not being able to swim.
Dad Michael at the bridge which overlooks the spot his son was found. It has been covered with tributes from friends, family and strangers(Image: Paul David Drabble)
His grief-stricken mum and dad, Michael, 46, and mum Suzie, 48, from Mexborough in South Yorkshire, are today pleading with other children: âPlease keep out of open waterâ.
They were speaking for the first time since the tragedy to support the Mirrorâs âSave Lives for Samâ water safety campaign. âWe are desperate to stop other families having to go through heartbreak like this,â they said.
Mackenzie and his mum Suzie Gough. ‘He was a real mummy’s boy’
Michael in a message to other children pleaded: âPlease donât do it to your parents because this has broken me. I had to go and identify Kenzieâs body. It was like he was asleep and would not wake up. I told him I loved him and he was with his nannan and grandad now. I donât want anyone to go through what weâve had to go through with Kenzie.â
During the last week of May, Mackenzie was one of 13 children who died. Six more adults also drowned.
Mackenzie loved all things Yoda
The Mirror, backed by bereaved families, charities and Olympians, are pleading for an immediate public awareness campaign ahead of the summer, when it is feared more children could die.
Mackenzie, who was in the process of being officially diagnosed with autism, had been out shopping in Doncaster with his mum and little brother Carter on the Saturday he drowned. Heâd managed to persuade his mum to buy him a new tracksuit, then told his dad he âowed his mumâ the cash for it.
Michael laughs: âHe was my cheeky little monkey. â He explains how he has to laugh or he will cry.
âAnd Iâm scared to cry in case I canât stop. He was my little life saver and kept me going, even after my mum died. Now he will be forever 11,â he said.
Kenzieâs mum Suzie described him as a âmummy’s boyâ who âloved his quiet time and only gave cuddles and kisses on his terms. I used to call him my sensitive soul and my munchkin. He was a sensitive boy who loved his quiet time and his night time phone callsâ to his friends, she said.
An inquest into Mackenzieâs death opened and adjourned on Thursday. His body was released for the funeral to be held.
Mackenzie was in the process of getting an official diagnosis for autism and was scared of water
His dad told the Mirror heâd been out fishing when he got a call from Mackenzieâs mum to say the police were at her house and their son was missing. âI went to Suzieâs and asked where the last time he was seen was and they said âpebble beachâ. My heart sank! I knew it well. I ran all the way there, it was a mile away and took me about ten minutes.
âOnly when I got to the river though did I realise how serious it was because of how many police were there and thatâs when the bottom fell out of my world. The bottom fell out of our world.
âWeâve been told his (Kenzie’s) friend ran for help. He found a man on the bank who phoned 999. Kenzie’s bike was on the pebbles along with his top and trainers.”
The family then faced an agonising three day wait until Mackenzie’s body was finally recovered on June 2nd. âThat night I was on the bridge and spent the next two days out scouring the river banks.â The River Don was searched by specialist teams, police divers and family friends in boats. One of those was Michaelâs best friend Dale Coles, who waded out up to his neck searching for Mackenzie.
But sadly his body was eventually found just yards from where he first went missing. It was in the opposite direction of where the search was concentrated.
Michael has since returned to the scene several times and finds âcalmâ amongst the âdevastationâ as he walks along the bridge which has been covered in tributes to his son
Michael peering down at the spot where Mackenzie drowned on the River Don(Image: Paul David Drabble)
But as we walk with him, the dad doesnât look at the balloons, solar lights and images of Yoda, which was Mackenzieâs favourite teddy bear – but instead stares down at the water below where his sonâs body was found.
âIt looks all calm but that dark water is deep and deadly,â Michael warns. He explains how he took Carter, Mackenzieâs little brother, aged eight, to the scene recently to see the tributes to his big brother.
“He said to me; “It doesnât look dangerous dadâ. So I put this stick near the bank and for a few feet you could feel the bottom and then this 6ft stick just vanished. You donât know whatâs underneath.
âHis brother, Carter, has been âpowering on like a trooperâ. I asked him why he’s being so strong like this and he said âbecause you and my mum were so strong.
âWe used to go to this area as kids too. That beach is like a little oasis and the kids love it but thereâs no warnings, no safety equipment there.
“When I was a kid, Iâd go canoeing in the canal nearby. I always knew the river was more dangerous. I never thought Kenzie would go near that water, we warned him anyway but he was unsure of the water. â
Dad Michael having fun with Kenzie and Carter
As we walk to the spot where McKenzie was found, his dad points out the nearest safety ring, which is behind iron railings and out of sight and on the canal which runs parallel.
The only sign we could see was one to warn the public to pick up after your dog.
âIt doesnât matter whether he was found that night or the next morning, the outcome would have been the same but there would have been less heartache with the waiting. It was painful.”
Dale and Natasha Coles, who have five children of their own, are like family to Michael and they have been helping him cope, raising money for the funeral and arranging for any extra funds to go towards paying for swimming lessons.
During the hunt for Kenzie, Dale was also in a boat searching. âIt was horrendous, it was horrible, the worst feeling is not being able to find him or fetch him home. I was saying I didnât think he was down this far. The police were further down searching than us.
âBut I was relieved theyâd found him, it didnât matter where he was, he was found. The main thing was to just get him home.â
Nathasha, 38, has written a water safety book âKenzieâs big summer adventureâ and she is now trying to get out to as many children as possible.
âWhether a child swims or not, I hope this book will help get the message out either way. We donât want any more families to suffer like this.
âSeeing 19 people die in a week was unprecedented. I canât ever remember so many people losing their lives to the same thing in separate incidents.
âItâs heartbreaking for me and Iâm not his mum and dad. How they feel is impossible to imagine. I cannot bear to think about having a phone call from the police to say that they donât know where your baby is.â
Michael added: âWe want to thank Highwoods Academy for their support and help throughout. Dale and Tash for trying to help us make a difference and all those who worked on the memorial bridge which gave the family such comfort including Bryonie Whittingham and Tom Javens, Sam Tingle, Kelly Wilson and Lacie Dunn.
âWe were overwhelmed with all the love and support shown by all our friends and family. From the searches to the donations to making a difference and keep his memory going.â
