Drowning Prevention Week – 14 to 21 June. #FloatToLive

Child drowning deaths doubled between April 2019 and March 2023, with 125 children drowning over the four-year period. Boys accounted for more of the deaths, at 71%. When the weather is good, as it has been over the past few weeks, children and young people are more tempted to enter open water such as rivers, lakes and canals. Drownings in inland open water accounted for 51 of the deaths. 

Promoted by the Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS UK), Drowning Prevention Week is one of the largest summer water safety campaigns across the UK and Ireland.

The RNLI’s 2025 #FloatToLive campaign is calling on people to help share this lifesaving advice to save more lives. It only takes one conversation to help save a life, so please share this story with your networks today – you could be a lifesaver!

Please watch this short film about Katie & Will who floated to live before being rescued by RNLI Lifeguards at Borth Beach in Wales. They knew to float after seeing the campaign message on a bus shelter poster at the beach entrance, another powerful example of prevention work and rescue teams working together as one crew to save a life. 

For information about Float to Live, including more campaign content to share, go to RNLI.org/float.  

Campaign toolkit and sharable assets are available.

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) have a webpage dedicated to water safety. It includes guidance on how to stay safe whilst participating in sports and activities which take place in, on or around water.