RNLI’s life-saving Float to Live campaign arrives in North Tyneside
The RNLI are sharing life-saving water safety advice in North Tyneside this week.
From July 21, charity partner Scania is helping to share vital water safety information by wrapping one of their trailers in the RNLI’s Float to Live campaign advert and driving it around the country.
The Scania ‘Float to Live’ trailer is acting as a mobile, high impact billboard to help share the lifesaving message across multiple locations.
As August brings the highest number of visitors to the coast during the school holidays, the trailer will play a key role in ensuring the message reaches as many people as possible.
The trailer is currently visiting Whitley Bay and is parked close to The Links, by the entrance to the car park for Waves.
Kay Heslop, Lifeboat Operations Manager for the RNLI Cullercoats Lifeboat Station, said: “It is exciting to witness this worthwhile partnership between the RNLI and Scania.
"We are delighted to see the Scania ‘Float to Live’ trailer visiting our local area, helping to promote the Float to Live message even further this summer.
"We know that August is the busiest month on the coast so ensuring that even more people see this vital, water safety messaging is great to see. I urge all families to take the opportunity to learn about and discuss water safety at this time.”
Sarah Pennicard, RNLI Water Safety Delivery Manager said: “We are pleased to see the Scania Float to Live trailer supporting water safety awareness across the region this summer.
"With more people visiting coastlines, rivers and lakes during August, it is important that as many people as possible are aware of the Float to Live message and know what to do if they find themselves in difficulty in the water.”
The charity’s advice for anyone struggling in the water is:
Tilt your head back, with your ears submerged,
Relax and try to breathe normally,
Move your hands and feet to help you stay afloat,
It’s fine if your legs sink, we all float differently,
Practise floating in a local pool if you can,
If you see someone else struggling in water, phone 999, tell them to stay calm and float on their back and throw rescue equipment to help them until emergency services arrive.