A series of portraits representing the users of towpaths and footpaths adjacent to canals, rivers and similar water-courses.

In the UK, a substantial proportion of drownings each year are of these users – few of whom ever intended being in the water. When someone unexpectedly enters water, they are likely to suffer from ‘cold water shock’ syndrome – a condition which disorients them, disturbs their physiology, provokes gasping, panic, and even cardiac arrest. This makes it substantially harder for them to rescue themselves and explains why many people drown within ONE MINUTE of immersion.