A very rare treat, swimming at the Sky Pool for the RNLI 'Float to Live' campaign with Helly Hansen

When I received an invitation from the RNLI & Helly Hansen to attend the launch event for a very important water safety campaign at the super exclusive Sky Pool in London's Embassy Gardens I was very excited, a little nervous and of course hoping for a mild day and some sun!  I didn't quite get the ideal weather conditions but I did learn that I can float and just how imperative it is for us all to be aware of some vital water survival skills. 

In 2022 there were 226 deaths in the UK form accidental drownings, across inland and coastal locations.  Of the people who died, 40% of had no intention of entering the water, including those walking, with causes including slips, trips and falls, being off cut off by the tide or being swept in by waves.

It brings home just how important it is to understand and be aware of life saving advice to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe.  We may never plan to actually swim in a river or enter the sea but accidents do happen and I'd rather be prepared, wouldn't you?

PR Invite

Helly Hansen & RNLI 'Float to Live' launch event at Sky Pool, Embassy Gardens

RNLI & Helly Hansen 'Float to Live' annual water safety campaign

The RNLI has partnered with well known global sailing brand, Helly Hansen, to launch it's annual water safety campaign, Float to Live.  Emma Russell, Helly Hansen's Marketing Manager explains "Helly Hansen and the RNLI have been strategic partners since 2018 and each year we come together to educate those at risk of drowning."

To be able to launch the campaign this year at the iconic Sky Pool really gave an extra focus to the campaign.  The immersive experience of hearing from an RNLI Lifeguard, watching and trying real life floating and listening to a personal account of using floating to keep calm and safe was one I won't forget in a hurry.

The Float to Live campaign launched ahead of the busy half term. holiday and I hope that it will continue to raise much needed awareness throughout the busy summer months.

I live near the River Thames in Marlow and every year I hear of or see children entering the river for fun, oblivious to the risks and every year I hear of yet another child's life lost to a drowning incident.   It is heartbreaking and needless, so many of these tragedies could be avoided.

My own children lost a fellow-pupil from their school and his family have gone on to campaign for more water safety awareness.  Kyrece Francis aged 13 tragically died at the start of the summer holidays in 2014, he was the same age as my daughter.  As a result of his death, a joint initiative was launched by the emergency services across the Thames Valley to promote water safety and money raised from a charity set up in Kyrece's name has helped fund the installation of lifesaving equipment including torpedo style b-line devices.

Jack Trigger is a professional sailor and Helly Hansen ambassador, he said "With summer around the corner, it is important we take the necessary precautions to keep ourselves safe on or near the water, and knowing how to float is a lifesaving skill we all should practice."

RNLI Lifeguard with Jack Trigger, Helly Hansen sailing ambassador, at the 'Float to Live' launch event, Sky Pool, Embassy Gardens

Remember always 'Float to Live' saves lives

The advice from the RNLI is to 'Float to Live' if you find yourself in difficulty in the water:

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Float to Live

​Tilt your head back with your ears submerged.
Relax and try to control your breathing.
Use your hands to help you stay afloat.
Don't worry if your legs sink - everyone floats differently.

​Floating will minimise the risk of gasping and breathing in water. and our natural instinct is to try and swim, but don't! 

Stay as calm as possible and float so you can control your breathing.

​ Once you are over the initial shock, call for help or swim to safety if you are able to do so.

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​I got to try this out with an RNLI Lifeguard at the Sky Pool and it really does work, I knew I could float but it is not something I choose to try for any length of time but I found that once I relaxed into it my body did naturally float, my floating style was that my legs didn't sink and I hardly needed to move my arms.  But everyone is different and men are more likely to find their legs sink!  But try it next time you are in a swimming pool, it could just save your life.

Of course the shock of sudden cold water or panic at being caught in a dangerous rip tide, means that the first thing we need to do is try and stay calm.  Easier said than done.

Speaking personally to the RNLI Lifeguard, he explained to me that if you can remain calm and float for the initial 1-2 minutes then you are more likely to be able to shout for help.  At the event, we heard a real-life account from Michael Whitely who used Float to Live to keep calm and safe before the RNLI crew were able to rescue him when he got into trouble at sea.

Learning floating techniques for the 'Float to Live' campaign at the Sky Pool, Embassy Gardens

Raising awareness of dangerous rip tides

I have a friend on Instagram, Elizabeth (not her real name) and I got chatting a couple of years ago and she shared with me a very personal and tragic accident and I asked her permission to share her story on my blog.  She is passionate about raising awareness of water safety and hopes that by sharing her family's story, it might help someone else.

During a holiday in Cornwall, her son got into difficulty in the sea, so naturally her husband went in to help.  Although her son was eventually rescued, resuscitated and airlifted to hospital, her husband didn't survive.  Elizabeth had to make the agonising decision to go in the air ambulance and prioritise her son, as well as look after her daughter.  She tries to take comfort from the fact that her husband died in a place he loved but the tragedy will never leave her, she is slowly coming to terms with what happened and she is so proud of how her son and daughter have coped, they have been amazing and keep her strong but obviously this devastating tragedy had a huge impact on them.

Just writing this out for my blog, gave me goosebumps, how Elizabeth and her young family cope I do not know and my heart goes out to them.  

Understandably Elizabeth is keen to shout about the importance of water safety and share the reality of what can go wrong.  It is assumed that it was a rip tide that caused her son to get into difficulty while he was enjoying the sea in Cornwall.  So does the same Float to Live advice apply for coping in a rip tide?

The RNLI say, if you do find yourself caught in a rip:

Don't swim against it, you will just get exhausted.
If possible try and stand up but if not then remember to Float to Live.
Once you feel calmer, and if you can, swim parallel to the shore until free of the rip.
Then you can either swim to shore or raise your hand and shout for help.

Gabbi Butcher, Water Safety Education Manager at the RNLI explained how important it is that anyone visiting open water understands the risks and what to do in an emergency.  A staggering 83% of the UK adult population expect to visit the coast this summer, but 10% said the potential dangers associated with water are something they don't think about often with 36% saying they don't know what to do if they get into trouble.

RNLI and Helly Hansen, demonstrating vital survival skills in the iconic, see-through swimming pool

Experiencing the exclusive Sky Pool for RNLI's 'Float to Live' campaign

The Sky Pool at Embassy Gardens is exclusively available for residents and their guests so it was a real privilege to be invited to a very rare event, they don't usually hire it out under any circumstances, but they made a one-off exception for the RNLI Float to Live campaign.

Seeing it from the ground when I arrived was spectacular, I could already spot someone swimming.  I was a little apprehensive, arriving at an event alone, not really knowing what it would entail, wondering if anyone will talk to me and then add in that despite the previous day being very hot and sunny, the day of the launch event was cold, grey, cloudy and drizzly!  I am fair weather swimmer, I reserve sea swimming for the Mediterranean and have never been interested in open water swimming.

I could easily have backed out!  But I knew if I didn't get in the pool, I'd regret it!  So I braved the chill and stripped off .... the pool itself was warm and the experience was a once in a lifetime moment, swimming (and floating) high above the London skyline overlooking the River Thames, was something I won't forget.  I'd read reports that some swimmers felt a bit queasy due to the height but this was not my experience, I didn't feel the height was particularly noticeable especially whilst in the pool.

The Sky Pool is a clear, perspex, 25-meter long pool that really does appear to float in the air!  It is a remarkable feat of engineering and the first of its kind, it spans like a bridge, 15-meters between two residential buildings 10 floors up.  I don't usually get my hair wet or swim underwater these days (ear problems) but I made an exception!

Helly Hansen & RNLI 'Float to Live' launch event at Sky Pool, Embassy Gardens

The lifesaving legacy of RNLI volunteers

Did you know that the RNLI is almost entirely made up of volunteers, ordinary people doing extraordinary things and saving lives.  And I also learnt that the River Thames now operates four lifeboat stations along the tidal reaches - Tower, Chiswick, Gravesend and Teddington) as a direct result of the findings of the Thames Safety Inquiries into the collision between the pleasure cruiser The Marchioness and the dredger Bowbelle in which 51 people lost their lives in 1989.  These lifeboat stations are manned 24/7 because they are required to be afloat within 90 seconds of being notified of an emergency.

Helly Hansen is trusted by more than 55,000 professionals around the globe, providing suitable clothing for Olympians and national teams as well as providing the uniform for the RNLI and mountain rescue teams.  Helly Hansen work together to reduce drowning and providing educational advice.

I felt very privileged to get to experience the Sky Pool as part of this important campaign, I hope no one ever gets into trouble in water but if you do remember, don't panic and Float to Live.

Please share my blog post with family and friends and make them aware of the importance of water safety and remembering Float to Live.

Love from
Michelle xx


Disclaimer: I was invited to attend this launch event, I was under no obligation to write a blog post and I have not been paid to do so.

Learning how to Float to Live at the Sky Pool, Embassy Gardens with the RNLI and Helly Hansen

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