Bikini £16.98

For the first time this year, leading fashion retailers H&M have produced a full collection of swimwear to be sold on behalf of international charity WaterAid.

This is the eighth year running that H&M will be raising money to help provide clean water and sanitation for some of the world’s poorest communities, but for the first time, the WaterAid collection will include swimwear for children and men, as well as their usual bikini.

Always a popular range, 10 per cent from sales will go directly to the charity which aims to save lives through giving access to one of our simplest needs – water.

This year’s eye-catching floral fusion bikini for women comes in two vibrant colour ranges and has a RRP of £9.99 (top) and £6.99 (bottoms). The collection also includes tropical Hawaiian-style swimwear for boys (£9.99) and girls’ bikini (£7.99). The five classic colourways of men’s shorts are available from H&M priced £14.99.

Since the beginning of the collaboration in 2002, H&M has raised over £1million for WaterAid through its special swimsuit designs. In 2008 alone, H&M raised £216,202.

The primary focus area for the funds is Bangladesh, supporting WaterAid’s work in the slums of Dhaka and Chittagong to improve hygiene awareness and access to water and sanitation. The money will also help communities in Madagascar and Tanzania. WaterAid’s Caroline Whatley said:

One in eight people in the world do not have access to safe water and every day 4,000 children die from water-related diseases. With every H&M WaterAid swimwear purchase, customers are really helping us to reach out to these people, enabling them to access safe water, sanitation and hygiene education. Look great on the beach and help a fantastic cause!

Altogether, the projects which H&M are supporting will provide more than 75,000 people with safe water, 50,000 with sanitation facilities and more than 100,000 with hygiene information.