RNLI delighted to be attending Sax Music Fest in Saxmundham this weekend

An RNLI Flood Rescue Unit will be there along with staff and volunteers to talk about the charity’s work and to provide advice on how to stay safe at the coast.

The charity has provided over 2000 reusable plastic glasses for the event with its ‘Respect the Water – how to float’ safety messages on them. It’s hoped these glasses will generate conversations about how to stay safe around water. Festival attendees are welcome to take the glasses home and any small donations would be gratefully received.

Ben Long, Community Fundraising Manager for the RNLI said: ‘We’re really pleased to be involved with this fun event this weekend. The atmosphere should be great and we hope to raise awareness of the RNLI’s work, as well as share messages for people to stay safe in the water this summer at the beautiful Suffolk coast.’

The RNLI will be promoting the Respect the Water campaign and water safety messages during the event. The initiative supports the RNLI’s annual national drowning prevention campaign, which aims to raise awareness of the potential dangers of open water and steps that people can take to minimise the risks. It is part of the charity’s drive to halve the number of accidental coastal deaths by 2024.

To stay safe the RNLI is urging people to remember the following basic safety information when enjoying their time around water:

• People who fall into cold water follow the same instinct, to gasp, thrash about and swim hard. But this is the worst thing to do – it increases chances of water entering your lungs and increases strain on your heart.

• If you fall into cold water, fight your instinct to swim hard. Instead just float until you can regain control of your breathing before then trying to swim to safety or call for help. You’ll have a far better chance of staying alive.

• If you see someone else in trouble in the water, fight the instinct to go in yourself. Call 999 or 112. If you are at the coast, ask for the coastguard. If you are inland by a river or waterway, ask for the police.

For more information, please contact Clare Hopps, Regional Media Officer for the North East and East, on 07824 518641 or at [email protected]

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.

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Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.