FINALIST 2024
Our Float To Live campaign proves year on year to be a valuable lifesaving message. We know this thanks to the people who come and tell us that they wouldn't be here today if they hadn't known how to float. It's thanks to this film that they are here to tell their story today.
You can hear from the people who helped save themselves by remembering to Float to Live through our Survival Stories.
Did you know that 83% of UK drownings are male, and 40% of people who drowned in 2022 had no intention of entering the water?* A recent RNLI survey also revealed that nearly 1 in 3 people in the UK still do not know what to do if they unexpectedly get into difficulty in the water**. As a result, we created an in-house Float to Live film, which aimed to target men 15-65 year olds.
We started with the research (5 steps on how to Float to Live), and then depicted our target audience in the film as the main characters to ensure viewers connect, share, and remember how to Float to Live.
Learning how to float to save your life is essential to for when you are visiting the beach, going on a coastal walk, swimming, kite surfing, kayaking, stand up paddle boarding (SUP), cold water dipping or just having a paddle.
It can also save your life if you accidentally fall into a body of water, get caught out by a rip current, the tide is suddenly coming in around you or you get blown away from shore due to bad weather and strong winds.
*Water Incident Database (WAID) 2022
** Basis Research, RNLI Water Safety Survey, April 2023. Representative sample of 1,007 UK adults aged 16-64
For 200 years, the RNLI has saved lives at sea. Our volunteers are on call to launch lifeboats to the rescue around the UK and Ireland, 365 days a year. Our lifeguards patrol busy beaches in the summer. And our water safety campaigns keep people safe by sharing lifesaving messages that prevent drowning tragedies. We're driven by our vision - to save every one. It inspires us to save more lives in more ways - from rescue hovercraft and inland lifeboat stations, to international lifesaving interventions alongside partners overseas. And, because we're a charity separate from government, we rely on kindness to power our lifesavers' work. The training, the equipment, the facilities, the campaigns - all made possible by a very special kind of lifesaver: you.
NOTE: RNLI work that aligns with the UN Sustainable Development goals includes its international projects delivered alongside other organisations, such as our partnership with CIPRB (centre for injury prevention and research Bangladesh). We have worked together with funders to help to set up a sustainable lifeguard service and community SwimSafe sessions in a country where 40 children drown a day.
