The challenge will run between Tuesday 27 May and Tuesday 10 June 2014 and aims to raise awareness and funds to support the charity’s lifesaving work.
By giving up all drinks except water for two weeks, and asking family, friends and colleagues for sponsorship and donating the money saved through only drinking water, participants can raise money for the charity whose volunteer lifeboat crews and lifeguards rescued 9,951 people last year alone.
All those brave enough to take on the challenge can sign up now online at www.H2Only.org.uk and download the free app from Google Play or the Apple App Store which will provide them with information about the money saved through giving up all drinks but water – and the calories they’ve ditched too. Through the app, people will also be able to unlock rewards like adding a slice of lemon to their water if they can manage to raise £5 in five minutes. Participants can also take on the H2Only challenge as a team through the app and can share encouragement when will-power hits choppy water.
The H2Only challenge is a simple exercise in self-control, but the RNLI does not underestimate how hard it will be for people to succeed. Just as dedicated RNLI lifeboat volunteers and lifeguards need to be selfless and committed, participants will need to commit to self-control to succeed in this challenge. It’s not just alcohol that participants will have to give up for two weeks, they’ll also need to say goodbye to fizzy drinks, tea, coffee, juice and squash.
Paul Boissier, RNLI Chief Executive, is taking on the challenge. He said: ‘We hope the H2Only challenge will help raise awareness of the important work the RNLI does. It reflects what the charity does and the commitment that all RNLI lifesavers display day-in, day-out. In 2013, during the same two week period which the H2Only campaign covers, RNLI lifeboat crews and lifeguards rescued 787 people, saving 18 lives across the UK and Ireland.’
Chris Speers, volunteer crew member at the RNLI’s Poole lifeboat station, is also taking on the challenge. He said: ‘Through taking part or sponsoring participants in this challenge, the public will help raise vital funds to support RNLI lifesavers across the UK and Ireland. As a crew member, I know just how important every pound raised is. It pays for the lifeboats we use, our kit and our training – all of which keeps us safe when we’re out on a shout.’
As a charity, the RNLI relies on the generous support of the public, with 92% of its total income coming from donations. The RNLI’s lifeboat volunteers drop everything 24/7 to save lives on the water. The H2Only challenge is the public’s chance to do something heroic for them.
For more information, to join the campaign and to download the app visit: www.H2Only.org.uk.
Media contacts
For more information please contact:
James Hardy
Ketchum for the RNLI
james.hardy@ketchum.com
020 7611 3672
Pippa Maloney
Ketchum for the RNLI
pippa.maloney@ketchum.com
020 7611 3642