Cullercoats RNLI 'in the picture' to highlight World Drowning Prevention Day

World Drowning Prevention Day is an official UN global awareness day coordinated by the World Health Organisation (WHO) which takes place each year on 25 July.

This year Cullercoats RNLI collaborated with partners from various agencies involved in search and rescue - and those promoting safer working practices at sea to highlight key water safety messages - to pose for a special photograph.

Representatives from Cullercoats RNLI, Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade, Northumbria Police’s Marine Unit, Tyne & Wear Fire and Rescue and North East Ambulance Service’s Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) were joined by officers from the Marine Management Organisation, Inshore Fisheries Conservation Authority and several local open-water swimmers.

All gathered in Cullercoats Bay to form a circle to enable an image that highlights the importance of the Float to Live water safety campaign to be captured from above.

To mark this year’s World Drowning Prevention Day, the RNLI is reminding everyone in the North East region heading to the coast to visit a lifeguarded beach and swim between the red and yellow flags. The charity is sharing its lifesaving safety advice as school children across the country enjoy the start of the summer holidays, with the coast predicted to be incredibly busy.

Dan Bedwell from the RNLI's Water Safety Delivery support team said: 'This World Drowning Prevention Day have a chat with your friends and family to see if they know how to stay safe in the water. Do they know about Float to Live if they get into difficulty? Do they know to always swim at a lifeguarded beach between the red and yellow flags? Do they know about staying together and having a means of calling for help? This simple advice can save lives.'

Figures from the RNLI reveal that lifeguards in the North East region attended 1,049 incidents last year. RNLI lifeguards will be patrolling around 245 beaches this summer to offer advice on how to stay safe and they are also there to help anyone who gets into trouble.

A total of 236 people accidentally died in water-related fatalities in the UK in 2023, ten more than in 2022 but in line with the five-year average. Of the 236 accidental fatalities in 2023, 20 occurred in July and 21 in August, reinforcing how important it is to stay safe at the coast over the summer.

By taking part in the multi-agency photo shoot the RNLI has again reiterated the lifesaving message: 'If you get into trouble in the water, Float to Live; tilt your head back with ears submerged and try to relax and control your breathing. Use your hands to help you stay afloat and then call for help or swim to safety if you can. It's OK if your legs sink, we all float differently. In a coastal emergency, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.'

A full list of RNLI lifeguarded beaches can be found here

Visit RNLI.org/float2024 for more information.

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For further information contact [email protected] or the RNLI press office on 01202 336789 / [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 142,700 lives.

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