Sky(e)’s the limit for RNLI fundraising jump

Eilidh Beaton and Ali Macfarlane were flown to a height of approx. 10,000 ft over St Andrews on 15 September before taking the leap out of the plane, which involved travelling at speeds of up to 120 miles an hour during the initial freefall, before deploying parachutes that carried the duo safely back to ground level.

The aptly named ‘Leap High for the RNLI’ challenge raised £3000.60 for the lifesaving charity, greatly surpassing an initial target of £1000 set by Eilidh and Ali, who presented the final cheque to volunteers during a presentation at Portree RNLI on Sunday 5 October.

Speaking after the skydive, Eilidh said:

‘It went brilliantly, and it was such an amazing experience! We’re really happy (and a bit relieved) to have completed it, but we’re even happier to have raised so much money for such an important cause!’

The duo had initially planned to take on the challenge in April, but this was postponed due to poor weather on the day of the jump.

Stuart Nicolson, Coxswain at Portree RNLI, said:

‘On behalf of the volunteers, crew and fundraisers at Portree RNLI, we would like to extend our thanks to Eilidh and Ali for supporting the charity in our lifesaving work.

‘It’s a very exciting time at the station, with a new lifeboat due to arrive in 2026, but it also highlights the vital role fundraising plays in the RNLI to help support the delivery of new equipment and infrastructure.’

The RNLI has been saving lives at sea for over two hundred years. It relies on donations and support from the public to operate the lifesaving service that it does.

There are over 5,700 volunteer RNLI lifeboat crew members at 238 lifeboat stations around the UK and Ireland, with a further 4,000 volunteer shore crew members. Our volunteers are on call and ready to respond to calls for help 24 hrs a day, 365 days of the year.

ENDS

Notes to editors

· Portree Lifeboat Station was established in 1991 and currently operates a Trent class all-weather lifeboat – Stanley Watson Barker. To learn more about the lifeboat station go to: https://rnli.org/find-my-nearest/lifeboat-stations/portree-lifeboat-station

· Find out more about how the RNLI spends money here: https://rnli.org/support-us/how-your-support-helps/where-your-money-goes

· The 2040 Lifeboat Fleet Strategy was published on Thursday 2 October. As part of this, Portree will receive a new Shannon class lifeboat in 2026. The full report and summary is available here: (https://rnli.org/news-and-media/2025/october/02/rnli-evolving-to-meet-lifesaving-demand#:~:text=Our%202040%20Lifeboat%20Fleet%20Strategy,information%20to%20make%20these%20decisions.&text='We%20need%20to%20have%20confidence,changing%20nature%20of%20lifesaving%20demand).

RNLI media contacts

For further information, please contact:

Robert MacInnes, Lifeboat Press Officer at Portree RNLI: 07950 421829 / [email protected]

Richard Smith, 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, [email protected]

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI is the charity that 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 146,700 lives.

Learn more about the RNLI

For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, TikTok 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.