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Student Lou takes on Reindeer Run challenge with crew-mates from Hunstanton RNLI

Lifeboats News Release

A student who juggles her coursework with being in a lifeboat crew is joining a Reindeer Run to raise money for the charity that saves lives at sea.

RNLI/Chris Bishop

Louise Kyle will be taking part in the RNLI's Reindeer Run challenge in December
Louise Kyle, 19, studies engineering at the College of West Anglia in King's Lynn.

After following her mother Clare into the busy team of volunteers at Hunstanton two years ago, she now crews on board both the station's inshore lifeboat and its hovercraft.

Her older sister Elise, 22, has also signed up at the station, where she is part of the shore crew and hopes to follow her mum into the tractor cab.

'Mum's a tractor driver at the station, so I just came up to help her one day and I just got hooked,' said Louise.

'I'm doing the Reindeer Run, which is a mile a day over 24 days in December to raise funds for the RNLI.

'I'll be running a mile for every hour that the crew will be on call and available over Christmas.'

Louise, Clare and Elise all perform vital jobs alongside other volunteers at the station, which is one of the busiest in Norfolk.

Like the RNLI's crews at stations around the country, the team at Hunstanton are on call 24/7, 365 days a year - including Christmas Day.

Elise is also taking up the Reindeer Run challenge along with Charlie Parfitt, who is one of the station's hovercraft commanders.

The trio each have a page on the RNLI's Reindeer Run site - to support their efforts, go to fundraise.rnli.org/event/reindeer-run and key their name into the search.

Notes to editor

Hunstanton is one of the RNLI's busiest stations in Norfolk.

So far in 2023, its lifeboat and hovercraft have launched 27 times, with one life saved and 19 people aided.

The station is one of just four around the coastline of the UK and Ireland which operates a hovercraft.

RNLI media contacts

For more information call Chris Bishop, Hunstanton RNLI volunteer Deputy Lifeboat Press Officer on 07584 147219 or Clare Hopps, Regional Media Officer on 07824 518641.

RNLI/Chris Bishop

Hunstanton RNLI volunteer Louise Kyle, who crews on the station's lifeboat and hovercraft

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, Twitter 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.