
Saving lives with the 24 mile Reindeer Run this Christmas
Haydn Sword, age 11, from Eyemouth is raising funds for the RNLI this December with the 2024 Reindeer Run Challenge.
Haydn said, ‘I chose to fundraise for RNLI because it is a much needed service, especially for people like me who live by the sea. I enjoy paddleboarding and swimming in the sea. Luckily I have never needed their service. I also wanted to challenge myself and keep fit by running 24 miles in December.’
Haydn hopes to complete his last few miles of the Reindeer Run Challenge before Christmas day, so he can put his feet up for a well earned rest.
With over £200 raised already, Haydn and his mum, Dawn, visited Eyemouth RNLI Lifeboat station on Saturday 21st December 2024, to meet the crew and have a tour around the Shannon class lifeboat ‘Helen Hastings’, where Haydn expressed an interest in trying out for the crew one day. Haydn also sang at Eyemouth RNLI Lifeboat station’s annual Christmas Carol concert this year with his school.
Eyemouth lifeboat volunteer Peter Walker, who recently passed out as a coxswain, said, “Every time we launch we rely on fundraisers like Haydn to help us in our mission to save every one. Last year, the RNLI saved 389 lives and as a charity we can’t do it without you. So, thank you Haydn for your lifesaving contribution this Christmas”.
You can follow Haydn on his Challenge at
https://fundraise.rnli.org/fundraisers/dawnsword/reindeer-run.
RNLI supporters around the country will be donning their antlers and strapping up their hooves to run 24 miles – all to help keep RNLI volunteers safe this winter.
Freezing seas, numbing winds and sub-zero temperatures – would you fancy launching into that aboard a lifeboat? RNLI crews will be doing just that, battling the elements this winter to continue their mission to save every one.
Reindeer Runners will be raising money so they have everything they need to answer the call for help. Because no matter how harsh the winter weather might be, lifeboat crews will always launch to the rescue.
Notes to editors -
Eyemouth lifeboat station has been operating since 1876. To learn more about the lifeboat station go to: https://rnli.org/find-my-nearest/lifeboat-stations/eyemouth-lifeboat-station
RNLI media contacts
Wendy Lorimer, Lifeboat Press Officer, 07946650114, [email protected]
Natasha Rushby, RNLI Regional Communications Manager for Scotland, 07826 900639, [email protected]
Martin Macnamara, RNLI Regional Communications Lead for Scotland, 07920 365929, [email protected]
RNLI Press Office, 01202 336789
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.