
Woman takes on second RNLI Mayday Mile challenge in memory of her brother
After losing her brother Haydn in July 2022, Brogan Griffiths is taking on the Mayday Mile, the RNLI’s biggest annual fundraising campaign, for a second time to raise funds for the RNLI.
Haydn Griffiths, an athletic 23-year-old who had extensive knowledge of the water, tragically died in July 2022 while swimming near Hoylake on a first date.
Volunteer RNLI lifeboat crews from Hoylake and New Brighton searched for Haydn, but sadly his body was recovered five days later.
Since this tragedy, Brogan and her family have continued to raise funds for the RNLI in Haydn’s memory as well as awareness of the charity’s lifesaving water safety advice.
Brogan is now set to take on the Mayday Mile for a second time starting tomorrow [May 1], completing 31 miles on her bike with her 19-month-old on the back throughout the month of May.
Brogan said: ‘The RNLI’s Mayday campaign is brilliant. The Mayday mile is an amazing way to get people out and about, to socialise, and as well as raising funds for the RNLI – and it’s really good for your mental health.
‘If you’ve not done Mayday before, I definitely recommend it.’
Last year [2023], Brogan completed her first Mayday Mile, carrying her then 7-month-old in a baby carrier while walking her dog for a mile a day. Brogan individually raised £1,010 and the ‘Stay Safe for Haydn’ team raised £1,245 for the RNLI.
Additionally, this July, in the week Haydn went missing, a group of his friends from ‘Stay Safe for Haydn’ are cycling 530 miles along the Welsh coast, finishing on the New Brighton coast. The group aim to raise £5000 for the RNLI.
Brogan said: ‘If it can happen to someone like Haydn, it can happen to anyone. We’re always going to continue to fundraise and raise awareness because we’re so grateful for the RNLI and everything they’ve done for us.
‘Now we have little children in the family, we want them to know how important it is to be aware of the potential dangers around water. We can’t wait to get my son involved in the fundraising.’
The RNLI has put out it’s Mayday call for support as its latest figures show people are calling on the charity more than ever. In 2023, its lifeboats launched 447 times in the North West, an increase of 13% on the previous year, and saved 22 lives.
Notes to editors
· To sign up for the Mayday Mile visit: RNLI Mayday Mile | Complete A Mile-A-Day Challenge In May
· Interviews with Brogan and Megan Griffiths may be available upon request.
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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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