RNLI Dunbar issues its own Mayday call for vital funds as callouts rise

Funds raised will help support the charity’s vital lifesaving work, including the provision of important training and kit for the volunteer lifeboat crews who readily risk their own lives to save others whenever the call for help comes in.

As callouts for Dunbar’s lifeboat volunteers increased by 20 per cent in 2024, the station’s Lifeboat Operations Manager Ian Wilson says: ‘Usually it’s our crew heading out to respond to Mayday calls, but now we’re the ones asking for help. Thousands of people get into danger on and around the water each year and need our help, but everything we do is only possible thanks to the generosity of our supporters.

‘We’re heading towards our busiest time of year, so we’re putting out our call for help to raise the funds which will help keep our lifesaving service going today and allow us to be there when we’re needed most.’

Among the 19 times Dunbar’s volunteers were called out last year, the crew came to the aid of a fishing vessel sinking in the harbour, to a coastal runner who’d fallen at Torness and to reports of surfers, SUP users and a diver in difficulty.

The Mayday Mile challenges participants to cover one mile a day throughout the month of May, wherever and however they like.

Dunbar’s RNLI volunteers will be undertaking their own Mayday challenge on Saturday 10 May when they push the D class inshore lifeboat David Lauder for the distance of a mile along the town’s High Street – emulating crews of yesteryear who had to launch lifeboats on foot.

Every penny raised through sponsorship will help the RNLI’s volunteer crews and lifeguards keep people safe this summer and beyond. Running a 24/7 lifesaving service is expensive and costs are rising - in 2023, it cost over £190M to run the RNLI.

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

Sign up for the Mayday Mile now and find out more at rnli.org/SupportMayday

Notes to editors

· Established in 1808, 16 years before the formation of the RNLI, Dunbar Lifeboat Station is one of the oldest in Scotland and is located on the south side of the mouth of the Firth of Forth.

· Since its formation, its volunteer crews have been honoured with 12 awards for gallantry.

· It operates two lifeboats – the Trent class all-weather lifeboat (ALB) John Neville Taylor, moored at Torness Power Station, and the D-class inshore lifeboat (ILB) David Lauder, which launches from Dunbar Harbour.

RNLI media contacts

Douglas Wight, Dunbar RNLI volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer [email protected]

Natasha Rushby, RNLI Regional Communications Manager for Scotland, 07826 900639, [email protected]

Martin Macnamara, RNLI Regional Communications Lead for Scotland, 07920 365929, [email protected]

RNLI Press Office (available 24 hours) 01202 336789 [email protected]

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.

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Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.