Mayday call to raise funds for RNLI

The Mayday appeal is the RNLI’s annual call for fundraising support.

The RNLI saved 33 lives in Scotland last year, according to new figures published by the charity.

In all, volunteer lifeboat crews at 46 lifeboat stations around the Scottish coast launched 1114 times in 2022, meaning three Scottish lifeboats were called upon each day last year.

Across the UK, volunteer lifeboat crews saved 389 lives.

And the charity is now putting out its own Mayday call as it faces yet another busy year ahead.

With high numbers of visitors expected as people continue to holiday closer to home, more funds are needed to ensure the lifesaving service is able to keep everyone safe as the charity relies totally on public donations and receives no assistance from the Government.

Reflecting on a busy year, Jill Hepburn, Head of Region for the RNLI in Scotland, anticipates the RNLI will see a similar demand on the service in 2023.

She said: “It’s clear from these new figures that there is huge demand for our service with an average of three Scottish lifeboat stations being called upon every day last year.

“Our amazing volunteer lifesavers drop everything when the call for help comes in.

‘Mayday is our own call for help, as we rely on the generosity of the public to take part in events like the Mayday Mile to raise the funds that allow us to be there when we’re needed most. But we need to be ready.

"Training, kit, stations, fuel are just some of the things we need to save lives at sea, and your fundraising can help us to provide this vital service.’

The RNLI’s Mayday national fundraiser begins on Monday, May 1 and will run for the whole month across the UK and Ireland.

And this year’s campaign will see the return of the Mayday Mile, in which participants pledge to be sponsored to cover a mile a day every day of the month. The distance can be covered by any means, from walking to skating, at times and places of the supporters’ choosing

The vital funds raised will help to give RNLI volunteers all they need to launch lifeboats to the rescue and be prepared and ready when desperate calls for help come this summer.

Further details about the campaign can be found at RNLI.org/SupportMayday.