Float to Live: RNLI and Kärcher share lifesaving message with sea wall art

Clean art has been pressure washed onto the wall of Brighton Marina, displaying a vital lifesaving message to remind the public to ‘Float To Live’ if they find themselves in difficulty in the water.

With many still stay-cationing in the UK, Kärcher UK has created the large-scale art to support the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) by reminding people of this important lifesaving method. Using high-pressure cleaners, the message was etched onto the Brighton Marina sea wall by removing layers of dirt, which had been built up over half a century.

As part of a new four-year partnership with the RNLI, Kärcher are committed to supporting the charity’s drowning prevention mission by raising awareness and sharing water safety messaging. It comes as huge numbers of people headed to the coast this summer and increased demand on the RNLI’s volunteer crew and lifeguards.

Kärcher will supply its cleaning equipment to every one of the RNLI’s 238 lifeboat stations around the UK and Ireland. This will include professional grade pressure washers and other important cleaning appliances to support with vital maintenance at every lifeboat station.

In 2020 alone, RNLI lifesavers saved 349 lives and helped over 33,546 people. That’s almost one life saved every single day. The charity also reported 42 lifeboat launches per day over the summer period, which is almost double the number launched throughout the rest of the year.

To remind members of the public of how to ‘Float to Live’, the pair have also collaborated on a short film, featuring crew at Selsey Lifeboat Station talking about the vital services the RNLI provide:- https://youtu.be/PcTXcf4qGdE

The RNLI advises that if you find yourself in difficulty in the water, the five steps to follow are:

• Fight your instinct to thrash around
• Lean back, extend your arms and legs
• If you need to, gently move them around to help you float
• Float until you can control your breathing
• Only then, call for help or swim to safety

As well as providing cleaning equipment, Kärcher are supporting the partnership by running a number of fundraising activities and sales promotions throughout the partnership to raise vital funds to help the RNLI continue saving lives at sea.

Rob Archibald, RNLI Coxswain at Selsey, the first lifeboat station to receive equipment from Kärcher as part of the partnership, comments: 'Kärcher’s equipment will really improve the cleaning regime we undertake at the lifeboat station. Every time the lifeboat returns to station following a launch for exercise or after responding to an emergency, station volunteers will wash down and clean the lifeboat.

'Kärcher’s equipment will make this process considerably quicker, to allow volunteers to clean areas previously inaccessible and make it a less tiring task. Maintaining and cleaning the equipment and lifeboat station is important to keep it in the best condition possible and ensures we are ready at all times to save lives at sea.'

John Payne, Director for Lifesaving Operations at the RNLI comments: 'The RNLI is delighted to announce this partnership with Kärcher, a highly respected and trusted company. Through this new alliance, they will help us to reach even more people with our water safety messaging, by supplying quality cleaning equipment to our crew. Kärcher’s efficient equipment will save RNLI volunteers’ time and continue to ensure lifeboats are ready to launch to those in trouble at sea.

'In addition to sharing our drowning prevention advice and supplying cleaning equipment, Karcher has pledged to generate income, fundraise for us and donate a percentage of sales via sales promotions throughout the partnership, for which we are extremely grateful.'

James Gordon, Kärcher Marketing Director, comments: 'We are proud and honoured to be partnering with the RNLI, and supporting the vital work they do in saving lives at sea. We’re delighted that our equipment will play a role in keeping the boats and stations clean and ready for callouts at all times during the year. We hope that together over the next four years we can raise more awareness of sea safety – kicking it off in style with our clean art in Brighton!'

For more information on the partnership visit the Kärcher and RNLI social channels.

Notes to Editors:

For further information or to request any images or samples please contact:

[email protected] | 0207 100 7100

About Kärcher UK:
Kärcher is a family-owned business built from the ground-up by Alfred & Irene Kärcher to solve every day cleaning challenges through innovation and technology. Always responding to the world’s ever-changing cleaning needs, Kärcher is now the world’s leading expert in cleaning, both inside the home and out. As a result, Kärcher’s products can be found in over 60 different countries, all built with Kärcher’s high standards of performance, efficiency and durability. Kärcher is a customer-centric business, continually striving to improve people’s cleaning habits to deliver the best possible results. As such, Kärcher products are always developed with the user in mind, saving them time and effort on a wide range of jobs throughout the household. These include floor cleaners, steam cleaners, vacuum cleaners, window vacuums, pressure washers, portable outdoor cleaners and watering tools. Kärcher in the UK is a £125m+ subsidiary of the German parent, Alfred Kärcher SE & Co. KG, based near Stuttgart. The UK business is based in Banbury, Oxfordshire, employing over 300 staff in brand new, purpose-built premises.

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.

Learn more about the RNLI

For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, X, TikTok and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.

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.