Rescue
9,000 launches in 2025, powered by courage and kindness
New stats released by the RNLI show how our supporters and volunteers powered more than 9,000 lifeboat launches last year
Busy volunteer lifeboat crew members headed to all sorts of casualties and incidents, including 713 launches to sailing vessels, 951 to motorboats, 946 to people in the water, and 319 to walkers and runners.
713 launches to sailing vessels
951 to motorboats
946 to people in the water
319 to walkers and runners
One of those people rescued was mother of four Mandy Galloway who was paddleboarding off the coast of Kingsbarns in Scotland and got into difficulty before being rescued more than a mile out to sea by Anstruther RNLI.
Mandy, who was caught in offshore winds and drifted more than two miles away from her original location, says: ‘I remember my teeth chattering so much I thought they would break – I have never been that cold before. There was no panic – I just thought: “you are going to die here”.’
‘I didn’t even hear the lifeboat - seeing the crew just felt like a dream. I’m so grateful for the actions of the RNLI that day and to have been able to be reunited with the crew to say thank you in person is a something I’ll never forget.’
Sheep, a horse, and a whale
It wasn’t just people that the crews helped in 2025: there were 179 launches to animals, compared with 163 in 2024. While the RNLI’s focus is saving human lives, lifeboat crews also launch to animals to prevent people from attempting rescue themselves. Most of the animals rescued were beloved pet dogs – but others included three sheep, one whale and a horse.
Kate Eardley head of global drowning prevention at the RNLI said: ‘The sheer number of lifeboat launches last year highlight just how quickly a day at the coast can change, and why our safety advice and volunteer crews are so vital.
‘We’re incredibly proud that our crews are ready to launch at a moment’s notice but these figures also underline the ongoing need for public support.’
If you’d like to put your best foot forward to support the volunteers who went the extra mile to save lives last year, it’s not too late to sign up for the RNLI Mayday Mile!
Whether you choose to walk, jog, hop or skip, a mile every day in May will help raise vital funds for RNLI lifesavers, so that they can continue to keep people safe at sea.
To sign up for the Mayday Mile, or to make a donation in support of the RNLI’s lifesavers, visit RNLI.org/supportMayday
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