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An RNLI crew member aboard a lifeboat looks back at the sea behind him
Shannon 2025 Appeal

Keep crews ready for anything

Give volunteers the all-weather lifeboats they deserve
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We are the RNLI

The charity that saves lives at sea

A lifeboat crew member wearing lifeboat kit and a helmet braces on a lifeboat deck in rough conditions

Bring crews safely home

Help save lives and bring volunteers home safely this winter
Bright orange Shannon class all-weather lifeboat breaking through rough waves under grey skies

A gift in your Will is our protection at sea

6 in 10 lifeboat launches are only possible thanks to gifts in Wills. Leave a lifesaving gift and help save lives at sea.
A woman sits at a table reading through the RNLI membership welcome pack

Send the gift of an RNLI membership for just £48/€60 a year

Your loved one will receive an RNLI members' pack with coastal visit handbook, and much more
Patch Harvey, Coxswain at Penlee RNLI, wearing his crew kit and standing in front of a harbour. He's staring directly at the camera.

Watch: How Penlee saved 8 lives in dramatic rescue

Watch the dramatic reconstruction of Penlee's Silver Medal rescue
An Atlantic 85 B class lifeboat cruises across the water

join a force for good

Become a member of the RNLI and you'll be joining a lifesaving family, working together to save every one we can.
Launch a Memory Lifeboat illustration

Launch a Memory

Add your loved one's name to Exmouth's Shannon class lifeboat and their memory will help save lives at sea
Black and white heritage portrait image of Ballycotton RNLI Coxswain Patrick Sliney wearing oilskins and a hat

Explore the RNLI's lifesaving history

For over 200 years, the RNLI has been saving lives at sea. Find out more about our lifesaving history.

Rescue stories your support made possible

Patch Harvey, Coxswain at Penlee RNLI, wearing his crew kit and standing in front of a harbour. He's staring directly at the camera.
Watch: How Penlee lifeboat crew saved 8 lives in a storm
Every time RNLI volunteers launch to the rescue, it's an outstanding act of selflessness and kindness. 
Watch the film
A still from a crew member’s head cam footage, showing the bow of an inshore lifeboat powering through a calm, grey sea
‘I didn’t even realise I was cold’
It is a mid-summer evening in Lyme Regis. James and his wife Elise have taken a dip in the sea when James suddenly starts feeling unwell. There’s no vehicle access to the beach and there are no lifeguards, so the couple are completely on their own. Luckily, they have enough battery and a phone signal to be able to call 999 and ask for help.
Read the story
Newhaven’s lifeboat powers through the sea on a misty, grey day, with lots of spray around it
In the face of nature’s fury
Driving rain, squally conditions. All in a night’s work for Newhaven lifeboat crew.
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Rhyl Volunteer Crew Member Kevin Taggart looks at the camera with a neutral expression. He is wearing crew kit and standing on a beach.
Trapped on a shrinking sandbank: 120 people rescued in Rhyl
At Rhyl Beach, 120 people are getting cut off by a rapidly incoming tide. Will the volunteers bring them to safety before it’s too late? 
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In an emergency at the coast, call 999 or 112 and ask for the coastguard.

Cullercoats Lifeboat Helm Anna Heslop on the 200 Voices podcast

Listen to the 200 Voices podcast

Stories of courage, triumph and tragedy from survivors, supporters, and the lifesavers of the RNLI

Listen now

Latest lifeboat launches

Latest launches
Severn class lifeboat breaking through waves

True stories of courage

Visit our online magazine to read some of the most thrilling, dramatic and inspiring rescue stories carried out by RNLI lifesavers
Read now