Successful Sax Music Fest with support from RNLI

The RNLI were pleased to attend Sax Music Fest this weekend, a free music festival which took place in Saxmundham, Suffolk.  An RNLI Flood Rescue Unit attended, with staff and volunteers on hand to talk about the charity’s work and to provide advice on how to stay safe at the coast.

The charity provided over 2000 reusable plastic glasses at the event with its ‘Respect the Water – how to float’ safety messages on them, which the guests were able to take home with them.

Ben Long, Community Fundraising Manager for the RNLI said: ‘We’re really pleased to be involved with this fun event.  The atmosphere was great and we raised awareness of the RNLI’s work, as well as sharing the message for people to stay safe in the water this summer at the beautiful Suffolk coast.’

The RNLI promoted the ‘Respect the Water’ campaign and water safety messages during the event.  The initiative supports the RNLI’s annual national drowning prevention campaign, which aims to raise awareness of the potential dangers of the water and take steps to minimise the risk of being in or near water.  It is part of the charity’s drive to halve the number of accidental coastal deaths by 2024.

To stay safe, the RNLI is urging people to remember the following basic safety information when enjoying their time around water:

• People who fall into cold water follow the same instinct, to gasp, thrash about and swim hard.  This is the worst thing to do – it increases chances of water entering your lungs and increases strain on your heart
• If you fall into cold water, fight your instinct to swim hard. Instead just float until you can regain control of your breathing before then trying to swim to safety or call for help. You’ll have a far better chance of staying alive
• If you see someone else in trouble in the water, fight the instinct to go in yourself. Call 999 or 112. If you are at the coast, ask for the coastguard. If you are inland by a river or waterway, ask for the police

For more information visit the RNLI website.

Visit the SuffolkWire homepage for more Suffolk news