Two castles that look across the entrance to Falmouth harbour will be lit up in a shade of blue tomorrow afternoon as two of a number of landmarks in the south west to show support for World Drowning Prevention day.

On Monday, July 25 The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) has arranged for buildings across Dorset, Devon and Cornwall to show their support for World Drowning Prevention Day by lighting up in blue.

Pendennis Castle in Falmouth and St Mawes will be lit up blue to show their support for the day, as well as the National Maritime Museum in Falmouth.

They join Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, Exmouth Lifeboat Station, Ocean, Exmouth and Weymouth Pavilion, Weymouth in donning the blue beams of light, highlighting the tragic and profound impact of drowning on families and communities across the world.

World Drowning Prevention Day was created through a UN resolution on drowning prevention in 2021, acknowledging the issue for the first time in its 75-year history. According to latest estimates from the World Health Organisation, drowning is the cause of 235,000 deaths globally every year.

This World Drowning Prevention Day the RNLI is also supporting the National Water Safety Forum’s Respect the Water campaign, which aims to raise awareness of what to do if you see someone struggling in the water.

Steve Instance, Water Safety Lead for the RNLI, said: "We’re delighted to help in highlighting World Drowning Prevention Day this year. Thousands of people lose their lives to drowning around the world every year, and we are keen to do all we can in helping to bring this number down, whether that’s through our own work, or through partnerships like this.

"It’s great to see so many well-known buildings across the south west joining us in going blue – my thanks go to everyone who is supporting this hugely important campaign."

For more on World Drowning Prevention Day, the World Health Organisation has a wealth of information available on its website: https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-drowning-prevention-day/2022.