As the Royal National Lifeboat Association (RNLI) celebrates its incredible 200^th Anniversary with a series of events planned across the UK and Ireland throughout the year, the organisation launched its partnership with City of Derry Airport on Monday 8^th April to increase awareness of their ‘Float to Live’ campaign in the Northwest and for passengers arriving into the Airport from the UK and beyond, and educate on the amazing work carried out by the RNLI, together with the Airport’s Fire & Rescue team and external emergency response agencies across Northern Ireland.

The launch event was attended by Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, and Cllr Patricia Logue, Deputy Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens, Cllr Margaret Anne-McKillop, to mark the coming together of the two council areas as a wider Northwest partnership. Guests were provided with informative presentations from the RNLI and City of Derry Airport, providing an educational and insightful look into the history and daily work of the two bodies.

Linda-Gene Byrne, Regional Water Safety Lead at the RNLI stated: “On average 114 people lose their lives by drowning every year on the Island of Ireland.  One of the RNLI’s key objectives is to work with key partners to improve water safety knowledge and drowning prevention. City of Derry Airport working with the RNLI’s water safety team is a hugely important partnership which provides a platform to share the RNLI’s water safety messages.  32% of people do not know what to do if they unexpectedly get into difficulty in the water.   This partnership with City of Derry Airport means that every passenger that passes through their Airport has the opportunity to learn how to help / save themselves if they find themselves in an emergency situation in Ireland or abroad.   The message from the RNLI and City of Derry Airport is clear, 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.”

Steve Frazer, Managing Director at City of Derry Airport, commented: “We are pleased to support the RNLI and help bring their ‘Float to Live’ campaign and safety messaging to a wider audience in their commemorative year. They provide such a vital role in keeping our local community safe, and visitors travelling throughout the UK and Ireland, and therefore it’s so important that this 200^th milestone is recognised and applauded. We look forward to further supporting their campaign throughout the year.”

To find out more on the RNLI 200^th Anniversary and how you can support their work, visit www.rnli.org.