Barry Dock RNLI volunteer vows to become iNVNCBL in fundraising challenge

For the race Ben will travail hail bails, scale walls and crawl through mud on Saturday 4 March in Margam Park, near Bridgend.

He will be running as apart of The Rum Runners team with his friends Sammi Munson and Philippe Moracchini.

The team are hoping to reach their target and raise £200 with donations.

Ben is no stranger to money making challenges as he raised nearly £1000 for the RNLI with an historical Norman soldier style hair cut in October last year.

An RNLI education volunteer, Ben also delivers vital sea safety messages to school children and other young people. He is also a volunteer lifeboat crew member at Barry Dock RNLI and his family have a long history of service with the station - his great grandfather and his brother were both crewmen and his dad is a Second Coxswain.

Ben said: 'I am always finding new ways and challenges to raise money for an charity close to my heart. This is my biggest challenge yet.

'We are running this event because, as a group who enjoy water sports and being at sea, the RNLI plays an extremely meaningful one for us to ensure our safety at sea.

'As a crew member and volunteer I see first-hand the difference raising money can make for both the crew and the local community to ensure people are safe and return home.'

The RNLI relies almost entirely upon donations from members of the public in raising money for the charity's 237 life stations and 350 boat fleet, provide continuous training and modern safety equipment for crew members. More information can be found on the RNLI website at www.rnli.org.

You can support Ben and the rest of ‘The Rum Runners’ team by donating on their Just Giving page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Sven-RNLI.

Notes to editors:

The attached picture shows Barry Dock RNLI crew member and education volunteer Ben Phillips in full RNLI kit. Photo credit: Becci Townsend.

For more information please contact Steven John Harry, Barry Dock RNLI Lifeboat Press Officer, on 07456 070389 or Chris Cousens, RNLI Press Officer, Wales and West, on 07748 265496 or 01745 585162 or by email on [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.

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.