Aquapac have teamed up with Sturgeon Ventures to raise funds for the RNLI. The walk was completed on the 1st July 2022 from Waterloo to Teddington. 

We are delighted to announce Lawrence Dallaglio, rugby world cup winner, joined us from Waterloo to Chiswick. The RNLI stations in central London were set up in 2002 as a result of the enquiry on the Marchioness disaster in 1989 which claimed 51 lives including Lawrence's sister, Francesca. Lawrence said:

‘I’m wholeheartedly supporting my mother, Eileen’s, legacy today as she was instrumental in campaigning for change on the Thames and the creation of a rescue service. Eileen would have been very proud of the continued efforts of the RNLI and its incredible teams. She always used to say to me “leave people in a better place than when you arrived. Along with other emergency services and organisations, the RNLI for the last 20 years have been saving lives in London. Supporting this event to help them continue this work is something close to my heart. We are here to acknowledge, 33 years later, Thames river boat design, water safety and rescue are in a far, far better place than they were the day of the disaster due to my mother’s inspiring campaigning.’

The RNLI is a charity made up of 95% volunteers and since founded in 1824, their remarkable lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 142,000 lives. The RNLI is funded primarily by kind donations and is independent of the Coastguard and government. 92% of their total income comes from donations, with the remaining 8% coming from income sources including trading and investments.

Aquapac are committed to helping the RNLI raise vital funds through new and existing methods to help the charity continue saving lives at sea.

Sturgeon Ventures are the UK’s leading Regulatory Incubator for start-ups and overseas companies launching in the UK in the Financial Services sector. As part of the firm’s offering they are a Regulatory Compliance Advisor guiding Firms in the financial sector to maintain compliance awareness, monitoring and governance; as a company based in Putney near the Thames Path they are keen to contribute to RNLI fundraising in 2022.

Aquapac have set a goal of raising £70,000 for the RNLI across various campaigns.

The first campaign is a fundraising walk along the River Thames, in support of the RNLI Water Safety programme to prevent drownings.

Indeed, the River Thames is familiar territory for the RNLI, as they currently operate four lifeboat stations along the Thames at Chiswick, Gravesend, Teddington and Tower. In 2021, the RNLI launched a total of 947 times, aiding over 250 people and saving over 20 lives across these four stations.

The 17.5 mile fundraising walk will begin at Waterloo lifeboat station and finish at Teddington lifeboat station. 

Her Majesty is the Patron of the RNLI.

For every £1/€1 donated, 86% (86p/86c) is used to fund RNLI’s lifesaving activities. The remaining 14% (14p/14c) is used to generate funds so that its volunteers can continue to save lives at sea for years to come.

Finally, Aquapac will donate a percentage of sales to the RNLI on selected products.

Help us stop drowning today.