If we see someone in trouble in the water, our instinct can often be to jump in to try and save them. But entering the water yourself is dangerous and can put you at risk of drowning too. Phone Float Throw, the new Respect The Water campaign from the National Water Safety Forum, encourages bystanders witnessing a water-based incident to take positive action without putting themselves in danger.
Phone Float Throw: NSWF encourages wet leisure providers to share the message
The Phone Float Throw campaign launched publicly in April 2026 and will run throughout the summer. The NWSF are encouraging wet leisure providers to support the campaign by sharing the message with their audiences and networks. A suite of high-impact materials is available for leisure providers to use and adapt for their own communications, including static and animated social media assets, co-brandable posters, and detailed guidance on how to apply the campaign across various platforms and channels. All resources are free and available to download from the Respect The Water website.
On average, each year, 282 people lose their lives due to an accidental water-related fatality in the UK, with many more lives permanently changed by the impact of accidental drowning. Effective water safety campaigns have the power to help reduce this devastating loss of life. By working together as a sector to share and embed this single cohesive message, leisure providers and water safety practitioners can ensure these instructions reach as broad an audience as possible, empowering bystanders witnessing a water-based incident to act without endangering themselves, and ensuring more people are able to enjoy their time in and around the water safely.
Wet leisure providers can support the Phone Float Throw campaign by sharing the message across their channels and networks. Free resources - including social media graphics, posters and a digital 6 sheet - are available to download from the Respect The Water website: respectthewater.com/phone-float-throw.
The campaign is supported by the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI), the Royal Lifesaving Society UK (RLSS UK), the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Surf Life Saving GB, the National Fire Chief's Council, Swim England and the Swimming Teachers Association, among others.
Someone in trouble in the water?
Remember Phone Float Throw - it could save their life.
Phone 999 to get help
Tell them to stay calm and float on their back
Throw rescue equipment to help them float until emergency services arrive
National Water Safety Forum
The National Water Safety Forum (NWSF) is a collaborative and integrated network of the UK's leading experts in drowning prevention. Hosted by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), it brings together diverse stakeholders to advance drowning prevention through education, communication and data-driven research. It is hosted by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA).
More info: [email protected] or www.nationalwatersafety.org.uk
