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‘Without the RNLI, my girls wouldn’t be here’: mum runs London Marathon

Lifeboats News Release

More than 80 runners will be on the start line of the TCS London Marathon running in aid of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), including a mum who says she ‘owes everything’ to the crew who saved her children from drowning.

Stacey O’Donnell’s eldest daughter Zoe, who was 23 at the time, and twins Daisy and Molly, who were both 13, were left hanging to a marker buoy in the sea after the tide swept them away from the shore in Brancaster, Norfolk in 2013.

Dramatic footage shows Hunstanton RNLI crews rushing to the rescue of the girls in the station’s hovercraft. Molly can be heard screaming “where’s my twin” as the RNLI volunteers pull the girls from the water.

11 years on and Stacey (52) will be donning her running shoes for the London Marathon on Sunday 21 April to thank the volunteers who saved her children that day.

Stacey said: ‘That would have wiped my family out. Without the RNLI, my girls wouldn’t be here, that’s the long and the short of it. I owe them everything. The story could have been so different.

‘I can’t ever thank them enough for what they did for my daughters. I look at my girls and think they’re so lucky.

‘One of the crew at Hunstanton RNLI said two minutes more and it would have been a totally different story.’

Daisy and Molly, now aged 23, said they were so proud of their mum for taking on this mammoth challenge.

Molly said: ‘We were trying to stay calm, but I thought we were going to die.

‘The RNLI saw us, and I was terrified they hadn’t seen Daisy. All I could think was my sister’s dead. That’s my twin sister. I’ve not known life without her.’

Daisy added: ‘People don’t always realise that the RNLI is voluntary, so I have conversations with people to make sure they’re aware.

‘I’m so proud of my mum. She’s not a runner and I think it’s really good that she’s pushing herself. A whole marathon, it’s so far, it’s amazing that she’s going to do it to raise money for the RNLI.’

Also tackling the marathon is Terri Stimpson-Peay (32) in memory of her brother Dan who drowned aged 35 in 2020.

Terri, from Weymouth, Dorset, is completing five marathons in total, covering a distance of 200km to mark the RNLI’s 200th anniversary this year.

She said: ‘We are so indebted to the RNLI for finding Dan which enabled us to grieve. The month I found out I was going to be running the London Marathon I found out I had a heart disease. Rather than sitting down and not going forward, I decided I would carry on and do the 200km challenge.’

Siblings Lucy and Luke Titcomb, aged 39 and 35 respectively, are running the 26.2 miles in memory of their dad Mark who was shore crew at Port Isaac RNLI.

Mark, aged 65, suffered a heart attack shortly after returning home from helping launch the lifeboat to a shout in May 2023.

Lucy said: ‘On the day of the marathon, it will be a year exactly since Luke and I last saw dad. It will be a hugely emotional day for us. The thought of dad keeps me going through the tough training days and for me, this is my way of saying thank you to the crew at Port Isaac RNLI.’

More than £160,000 was raised for the RNLI in last year’s London Marathon, and the runners this year will be hoping to beat that total.

Jayne George, RNLI Fundraising Director, said: ‘We are so thankful to all our RNLI runners taking on this year’s London Marathon. It is a massive challenge and we will be cheering them towards the finish line on race day.

‘The route takes runners near the City of London Tavern in Bishopsgate, where on 4 March 1824, our founder Sir William Hillary’s vision for a service dedicated to saving lives at sea became a reality.

‘200 years later, RNLI volunteer lifeboat crews and beach lifeguards have saved more than 146,000 lives but this is only possible thanks to generous donations and selfless supporters like our marathon runners along with all those who have contributed to their incredible fundraising efforts. Thank you, your kindness means so much to us. Every one of you is a lifesaver.’

Dan Sharp and Ross MacLeod, both 40, RNLI staff members based in Poole, will be running the marathon for Brain Research UK after Dan’s wife suffered a life-changing injury when she was hit by a car in April last year.

Dan said: ‘Brain injuries are such a lottery and we were able to have Becky come home because of the research they have done before. If we can help improve that, it would be really impactful.’

Stacey O'Donnell with daughters Zoe, Daisy and Molly at Hunstanton Lifeboat Station

RNLI

Stacey O'Donnell with daughters Zoe, Daisy and Molly at Hunstanton Lifeboat Station
Terri Stimpson-Peay with brother Dan

RNLI

Terri Stimpson-Peay with brother Dan
Lucy and Luke Titcomb

RNLI

Lucy and Luke Titcomb
Ross MacLeod and Dan Sharp training for the London Marathon

RNLI

Ross MacLeod and Dan Sharp training for the London Marathon

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.