NINE-YEAR-OLD Harry Cousins from Grove has designed a river safety poster to warn other kids of the dangers of swimming in the river.

The Ridgeway Primary School pupil is currently staying at his home on Brunel Crescent in Grove.

River safety was high on the curriculum for mum Claire Cousins.

Four years ago, the Cousins family lost godson Ellis Downes after he drowned in the River Thames.

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Ellis was 16 when he got into trouble while going for a swim in the cold water of the Thames.

Mrs Cousins said: “During home school we were covering all the parts of the river and when it was around the anniversary of Ellis’s death I thought it would be important to cover river safety.”

Harry’s mum explained to him the dangers of swimming and jumping into the river and told him Ellis’s story.

Inspired to educate his peers, Harry designed a river safety poster and sent it to the Vale of White Horse District Council.

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The council thought the poster was a great idea and decided to put it up at Abbey Meadow in Abingdon to warn others not to swim in the river.

The poster has the statement ‘do not go in the river’ with a big cross next to it and then Harry has drawn a playground and wrote ‘play here’.

However, the council have added to the playground picture, ‘when open again’.

Harry and his mum went for a walk to find the poster at Abbey Meadow and when they did, they took a photo.

Mrs Cousins said: "I have taken Harry for a walk for him to spot his own poster and he was over the moon and so proud of himself. When he saw it, he shouted ‘look there’s my poster’.”

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She added: “Children are so happy to impress their friends and we had to drum into Harry that if his friends did jump in the river to tell us.

"It was brutal, I was nearly in tears reliving it all and telling him, but it is so important.”