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Six women will swim 120 nautical miles from Dover to raise money for the RNLI

Lifeboats News Release

The bluebirds will take part in a gruelling physical challenge starting at 8am on Saturday 13 July to support the charity that saves lives at sea.

The bluebirds smiling after a training swim in Brighton

Christine Addison

The bluebirds training swim

Christine, Amanda, Daphne, Heather, Rona and Trish will begin at Dover and finish on Brighton beach – a feat which is expected to take more than 40 hours of swimming.

Each of the six women will swim in hour long relays alongside a support boat throughout the weekend.

The challenge is part of a ‘Corner to Corner’ event beginning in Hyde Park Corner with cyclists cycling peloton to Dover, then a swim to Brighton then finally on Saturday 20 July a relay run back to London.

Christine said: ‘As a Brighton resident I’ve always been inspired seeing the lifeboats out keeping people safe.

‘The sacrifice they make as volunteers is driving our motivation to complete the swim and we will have them in mind on our journey.

‘We are all experienced Channel Swimmers, having several marathon swims under our belts and we are taking every safety precaution on the day, our escort boat being part of the Channel Swim & Piloting Federation.’

One of the swimmers is Dr Heather Massey. She is part of the research team at Portsmouth University who provided the underpinning science to the RNLI key water safety message ‘Float to Live’.

You can donate to the Bluebirds here Corner to Corner Challenge - JustGiving and follow their training and progress online from the escort boat West Winds here https://cspf.co.uk/tracking.

The swimmers expect to start in Dover and finish in Brighton. They will be available for interviews before and after the swim.


RNLI media contacts

For more information please email Hatti Mellor, RNLI Regional Communications Manager – South East Region, on [email protected] or Izzy Coley, RNLI Media Engagement Placement – South East Region on [email protected] or telephone RNLI Press Office on 01202 336789.

RNLI at 200

On 4 March 2024, the RNLI celebrates 200 years of saving lives at sea – thanks to volunteers giving their time to save others, all funded by voluntary public donations. Throughout its 200th anniversary year, the charity is running events and activities to commemorate its history, celebrate the lifesaving service it provides today, and inspire generations of future lifesavers and supporters. For more information visit RNLI.org/200.

Christine Addison

The bluebirds smiling after training swim

Christine Addison

The bluebirds training swim

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.