RNLI mascot Stormy Stan (and lorry driver) to run London marathon
Stormy Stan, the RNLI's mascot whose 'home' is a cupboard in Lyme Regis lifeboat station, is running in this year's London marathon...with a little help from a 41 year old lorry driver.
Nick Marks, volunteer Lifeboat Operations Manager. said:'Simon has raised many donations for our life-saving charity and we are delighted to let him borrow Stormy Stan for the marathon and, of course, we wish them both every success.'
Simon, from Willand, Cullompton, will be taking time off from driving his HGV to take part in the marathon on April 25.
But before that he will be warming up by running in a half marathon in Tavistock, and then the 108 miles from the RNLI's headquarters in Poole to the Tower lifeboat station on the Thames.
Eighteen months ago Simon ran 42 marathons in 42 days around the coast of Wales and he has also cycled from Land's End to John O'Groats.
He tried on the mascot outfit for size one night and ran around Holmbush car park in Lyme Regis at 2am. 'I have got permission to make a minor adjustment to Stormy's head so that I have better vision,' said Simon, 'but fingers crossed, and with a few stops, I hope to complete the marathon within eight hours. Stormy has a big head so I think other fun runners will give him a wide berth.'
Simon has a fund-raising site for Stormy Stan at JustGiving.com
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.
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Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries
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