At the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK), fundraising is vital to our success in reducing the amount of drowning tragedies and accidents that happen every year. Drowning is currently one of the leading causes of child trauma-related deaths in the UK* so we pledge to make every penny count. No matter how much money you raise, it all adds up to help us to educate the nation and protect families from the sudden and devastating impact of drowning.

“No child should drown.  We provide expert lifesaving education in the UK and Ireland, protecting families from the sudden and devastating impact of drowning.”

Could you help us by fundraising for RLSS UK in 2024? There are hundreds of ways you could do so, but here are a few ideas from the RLSS UK Fundraising team to get you started…

Take on a Marathon

If ‘running’ was on your list of Resolutions for the new year, signing up for a marathon could be a great goal for you to work towards. Whether you’d like to run the London Marathon, the Great North Run or something local to you; set up your sponsorship page as soon as you start training and watch your fundraising total increase as quickly as your pace does! 

If the whole 26.2 miles doesn’t feel achievable this year, why not try a 10k or half marathon? RLSS UK are proud to be a chosen charity partner for the Birmingham and Black Country Half Marathon 2024 which takes a lovely canal-side route. We have 10 spaces available , – all we ask is that you commit to raising at least £100 (excluding gift aid).

Make a Splash

Our popular sponsored distance challenge is back for 2024 and we’re hoping it makes the biggest splash yet! Past ‘Splashers’ have loved its flexibility as it can be completed in a location, timeframe and manner to suit you – simply choose your target distance and swim, kayak or stand-up paddleboard ‘til you reach it.

You can sign up to Make a Splash and set the all-important fundraising goal on our website here. Once registered, we’ll send you everything you need to help gain sponsorship and complete your challenge. When you’ve successfully completed your Make a Splash challenge, we’ll send you a swim badge and certificate celebrating your success!.

‘Give What You Can’

The commitment and support of our members plays a vital part in our work towards keeping the UK and Ireland free from drowning and ensuring that future generations can enjoy water safely. In 2023, we launched a brand-new Community Membership** type as a way to increase awareness of RLSS UK and our water safety advice, whilst raising funds to help us continue our charitable work. 

The unique thing about this membership type is that it works on a ‘Give What You Can’ model, meaning that people can sign up for a 12-month Community Membership for any single donation of £1 or more! Could you spread the word and encourage friends and family to join us in 2024? 

Recycle your holiday money

We’ve partnered with Recycling for Good Causes to make it easy for you to dispose of any unused and unwanted bank notes  - whether you’ve just returned from holiday with 10€ in your back pocket or have found obsolete pre-euro notes from years back. They can also recycle any jewellery (even costume jewellery and broken or damaged items). It’s a great way to give back to RLSS UK whilst having a declutter!

To send your items to be recycled, simply use your own envelope or jiffy bag (No bigger than A5 in size) and post free of charge by printing and attaching this freepost label.

Get creative!

If you’ve got your own idea to fundraise for us, we’d absolutely love to hear about it! Please get in touch to let us know what you’re planning ahead of time and we will support you in any way possible. 

Qualified Lifeguard Adam got in touch with us recently to share the news that he’d signed up for his first ever marathon… in Florence, Italy! We were delighted to send him a charity t-shirt to run in share his story on our website and socials. Stories like this go a really long way in inspiring others so please get us involved at every step of the way.

Visit our Fundraising Pages

*National Child Mortality Database (NCMD), Deaths of children and young people due to traumatic incidents thematic report, July 2023.
**Community membership does not include the benefits of other membership types.