Help raise funds for 'Mayday' with Scarborough RNLI and the Tour de Yorkshire

With three weeks to go before the pelotons zoom into town and along the seafront, lifeboat personnel are getting ready to greet them.

Starting at 11am, fundraisers will cycle the distance of the stage-three route – 84 miles or 135km – on two static bikes on the lifeboat station forecourt (inside if wet).

They are inviting supporters to join in as part of the RNLI’s national May Day fundraising campaign, which runs throughout the month. They can cycle as little or as much as they like.

Teams and individuals are being encouraged to gain sponsorship prior to the event, although donations will be welcome on the day. For a sponsorship form, call in at the lifeboat station shop, email [email protected] or go online at RNLI.org/mayday.

If they aren’t out on a shout, both of Scarborough’s lifeboats will be bobbing about in the sea when the women and men arrive, several hours apart. High tide is at 3.51pm.

Scarborough is one of three stage finishes in North Yorkshire. On 4 May, the town will host the climax of the women’s race at 12.44pm and the third stage of the men’s race at 5.37pm.

The riders will start in Bridlington before cycling through Hunmanby, the North York moors, Robin Hood’s Bay and Whitby before a sprint finish along Scarborough seafront.

The RNLI has announced its May Day fundraising campaign at the same timeas its rescue figures for 2018. The charity is calling on the people of Scarborough to do their bit to help raise vital funds for crew kit.

Volunteer lifeboat crews across the UK and Ireland launched 8,964 times in 2018, rescuing 9,412 people – an increase of 17% on 2017. Scarborough’s lifeboats launched 53 times, rescuing 42 people in trouble in the water. The rescues were only possible because of the donations by supporters.

Money raised through May Day fundraising events will help RNLI lifeboat crews face the harshest conditions at sea with the best kit possible. It costs £2,161 to provide one all-weather lifeboat crew member with all the kit they need when responding to a call for help.

Scarborough RNLI lifeboat operations manager Andy Volans says: 'When the charity’s annual rescue figures are published, it’s always a sobering reminder of what our RNLI volunteer lifeboat crews do year in year out. They drop whatever they are doing and race to save lives at sea when they get the call.

'The least they can expect is the best kit possible to protect them against the extreme conditions they face. Kit which gives them a firm footing on unsteady surfaces and shields them from injury, allowing them to carry out their lifesaving work. The national fundraising event on May Day is our call for help, as we rely on the generosity of the public to fund the vital kit that helps keep the crews safe when they risk their lives for others.'

The RNLI hopes to raise £700,000.

Anyone who can’t attend a fundraising event but wishes to get involved can visit RNLI.org/mayday to register for a free May Day fundraising pack. It 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 32-tonne Tamar-class lifeboat.

Buying a yellow-welly pin badge at events or from the Scarborough RNLI shop will help raise funds towards the May Day target. People are being encouraged to show support on social media, joining the conversation using the hashtag #MaydayEveryDay.

The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. Its 4,900 volunteer lifeboat crew members provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the British and Irish coasts.

RNLI Media contacts

For more information contact Dave Barry, RNLI Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer at: [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.