Press Notice No: 149-11
Thursday, June 09, 2011
Posted 17:09 GMT

Children and adults at Mudeford Quay, east Dorset helped to blow away the world record for life jacket inflations on 21 May as part of the worldwide Ready, Set, Inflate! day. The UKs event saw 64 people inflate lifejackets and the UK was in the top three worldwide for the most inflations at a single event. There were 99 Ready, Set, Inflate! events on 21 May in the USA, Canada, Japan, Brazil, Australia and the UK.

Around the world, 1,685 people took part in Ready, Set, Inflate!, which is 531 more than last year. Of those 1,685, 1,191 inflated lifejackets (the others involved wore buoyancy aids) so there were 37 more inflations of lifejackets this year.

Lifejacket manufacturers and retailers Baltic, Spinlock, Secumar, Ocean Safety and Sea Safe all loaned lifejackets for the UK event.

Southbourne and Lymington coastguard rescue officers and the Southampton and Portsmouth Coastguard sector managers were at Ready Set Inflate, Mudeford Quay to lend people a helping hand with the fitting of lifejackets. Mudeford Lifeboat also attended and carried out demonstrations with the coastguard rescue teams. The event was also attended by the Mayor of Christchurch who presented participants with Ready, Set, Inflate certificates following the inflation.

Sir Alan Massey, the MCAs chief executive who also joined the UK Ready, Set, Inflate event said:

I was very pleased to see so many people participating in Ready, Set, Inflate in May and its great news that the MCA has played its part in breaking the world record. The MCA strongly recommends the wearing of well maintained lifejackets at sea, so Ready, Set, Inflate has given us a great opportunity to remind people to wear a lifejacket whilst afloat.



Posted By: Joanne Groenenberg

For further details contact:
The Maritime & Coastguard Agency Press Office
023 8032 9401