Help save lives at sea by having your car washed by Hoylake Lifeboat crew

Organised by RNLI Hoylake Lifeboat Station, the event will see the volunteer lifeboat crew don their distinctive yellow wellies as they clean visitors’ cars at the lifeboat station on North Parade, Hoylake for just £5 per car. The Mayday car wash will take place on Sunday 13 May between 10am and 1pm, with the crew hoping to raise £1,000 for the lifesaving charity.

The RNLI’s national Mayday fundraiser began on Tuesday 1 May and will run for the whole month, with fundraising taking place across the whole of the UK and Ireland. This year, the RNLI aims to raise £750,000 through Mayday, which will be used to fund essential kit for the charity’s brave volunteer lifeboat crews.

Andy Dodd, Hoylake Lifeboat Coxswain, says: ‘RNLI crews around the UK and Ireland will drop everything to go and save lives at sea when they get the call. Their kit protects them against extreme conditions, gives them a firm footing on unsteady surfaces, and shields them from injury. The Mayday campaign is our own call for help, as we rely on the generosity of the public, and especially the local community, to fund this vital kit. We look forward to welcoming the community to our Mayday car wash, where they can be sure their cars will leave looking shipshape as they help support RNLI crews around the coast.’

Money raised through Mayday fundraising events will help RNLI lifeboat crews to face the harshest conditions at sea with the best kit possible. It currently costs £1,598 to provide one all-weather lifeboat crew member with the kit they need when responding to a call for help.

This year, the RNLI is going yellow for Mayday – just like volunteer crews do every day to save lives at sea. Anyone who wishes to get involved can visit RNLI.org/mayday to register for a free Mayday fundraising pack. The pack provides a host of fundraising ideas, such as encouraging friends and colleagues to plan a wear-yellow fundraiser, getting sponsored to run, walk or cycle, cooking up some yellow-themed bakes to sell or even getting together to lift the weight of a 42 tonne Severn class lifeboat!

The charity is also encouraging people to show support on social media, joining the conversation using the hashtag #MaydayEveryDay, or by donating online or buying a yellow crew member pin badge.

The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. Its 4,700 volunteer lifeboat crew members provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts.

In 2016, RNLI lifeboat crews across the UK and Ireland launched 8,851 times, rescuing 8,643 people and saving 431 lives.

RNLI Media contacts

For more information, please contact Vicki Phipps at [email protected] or Dan Whiteley at [email protected] or on 07799 851 316.

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.