RNLI issues 'Mayday' with fundraising throughout the month

A yellow welly relay took place as part of the RNLI's 'Mayday' fundraising month. A number of eight foot-tall yellow wellington boots were placed in capital cities across the UK. The boots, in London, Cardiff and Edinburgh, represent those warn by volunteers on the charity's lifeboatsI.

The welly left Lyme Regis in Dorset on 1 May and has travelled all the way along the coast. It stopped at Chiswick Lifeboat station on the 30 May and finished up at Teddington Lifeboat station.

Last year the Chiswick station launched 178 times and assisted 113 people. This makes them the second busiest station in the country – only Tower station was called out more times.

The RNLI has come up with a variety of ways to raise its public profile -as well as the 'yellow welly' walk, it installed a May Day Phone Box in different locations, to give an insight into what it really means to be a lifesaving volunteer responding to a call for help. The charity wants to encourage people to ‘do their bit and fund our kit’ and help to raise funds to keep RNLI volunteers safe and dry on the water.

The charity responds to distress calls any time, day or night. 4,800 volunteer crew members from 238 lifeboat stations are on standby to drop everything in an instant to save lives on waterways and at sea. In 2017 these crews launched 8,436 times, aiding 8,072 people. RNLI London lifeboat crews alone launched 697 times, aiding 273 people.

The RNLI aims to raise £750,000 to fund lifesaving kit for the their volunteers. An RNLI crew member’s yellow wellies cost £55 a pair, a lifejacket costs £458 and a safety helmet costs £263.

For information on how to stay safe on or near water or to find your nearest lifeguarded beach,or find out more about their work, visit the RNLI’s website at www.rnli.org.uk

June 1, 2018