Scarborough RNLI crew members take on London Marathon

Kyle Patel and Richard Egan have entered the London Marathon on 24 April.

They are hoping to raise at least £2,300 each for the lifeboat.

Kyle says: 'I'm doing this for the RNLI and anyone who knows me will realise what a big achievement this will be for me. After all it was only three years ago when I weighed 20 stone and smoked 40 cigs a day. My life really has changed now and the RNLI means a lot to me and your money will go a very long way to helping us save lives at sea.

'I'm doing this for the RNLI and anyone who knows me will realise what a big achievement this will be for me. After all it was only three years ago when I weighed 20 stone and smoked 40 cigs a day. My life really has changed now and the RNLI means a lot to me and your money will go a very long way to helping us save lives at sea.'

Richard says: 'We have to raise £2,300 each as a pledge to run in a place for the RNLI. The places had to be applied for and were given to people scored against certain criteria. The highest scoring / matching persons were given a place.

'I will be running the Great North Run and a few other marathons and will continue to raise monies in the collection pots at Blue Crush.'

To sponsor Kyle, go to www.justgiving.com/kylepatel  or send a text to 70070 with the message KPAT99 followed by an amount. For example: KPAT £10.

To sponsor Richard, go to www.justgiving.com/Richard-Egan

RNLI media contacts

For further details, ring Scarborough RNLI press officer Dave Barry on 07890 322992.

News to editors

Scarborough RNLI’s all-weather Mersey class lifeboat Fanny Victoria Wilkinson and Frank Stubbs is nearing the end of its operational life. It is set to be replaced by the newest member of the RNLI fleet, a Shannon class lifeboat.
Scarborough RNLI’s £2m Shannon lifeboat has been funded by donations from the FW Plaxton Charitable Trust.
The trust was set up following the death of Frederic ‘Eric’ Plaxton to ensure that the proceeds of his estate be applied to charitable purposes for the benefit of the inhabitants of Scarborough in memory of his father.
Frederick William Plaxton was the founder of Scarborough-based coach building firm Plaxton Ltd, and the new lifeboat will be named in his memory.

The Shannon lifeboat
• The Shannon lifeboat is the first modern RNLI all-weather lifeboat to be powered by water jets and not propellers.
• Capable of 25 knots, the Shannon is 50% faster than the lifeboats it replaces – ensuring that those in need are reached even faster.

Launch and recovery
• The Shannon needs a bespoke launch and recovery system. It is designed to be mostly launched and recovered from a beach, but can’t do it without the right launching equipment.
The RNLI worked with Supacat Ltd developing a system capable of launching and recovering the Shannon lifeboat from the beach at all states of tide.
• The total cost of the Supacat launch and recovery system is £1.5m. Scarborough RNLI’s Supacat will be part-funded by two legacies. An appeal raised the remaining £200,000. Any monies raised above the appeal target will be used for the general running cost of the lifeboat station.

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.

Learn more about the RNLI

For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, X, TikTok and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.

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.