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You can help crews get there in time

Will you be the difference between just in time and too late? Donate to our Mayday Appeal.
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We are the RNLI

The charity that saves lives at sea

A side view of a fully clothed man floating on his back in the water

how to float to live

If you get into difficulty in the water, follow five simple steps to float. 
An Atlantic 85 B class lifeboat cruises across the water

join a force for good

Become a member of the RNLI and you'll be joining a lifesaving family, working together to save every one we can.
RNLI beach lifeguard carries a red and yellow flag on the beach

Find your nearest lifeguarded beach

Keep you and your loved ones safe at the seaside by choosing a lifeguarded beach.
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Launch a Memory

Add your loved one's name to Exmouth's Shannon class lifeboat and their memory will help save lives at sea
Four RNLI lifesavers stand in a wet Trafalgar Square. From left to right: An RNLI lifeguard, all-weather lifeboat crew member, inshore lifeboat crew member, and a face-to-face fundraiser.

RNLI 200: A story of kindness

With your support, this story of kindness can continue. Will you help us mark 200 years of lifesaving?
Flat lay of shop RNLI 200 products including socks, cap and keyring

Shop and save lives at sea

Everything you buy from the RNLI shop helps support lifeboat crews and lifeguards in their mission to save every one they can
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RNLI 200 voices

Listen to our new podcast as we share true tales of how the RNLI has touched lives for almost 200 years

Rescue stories your support made possible

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Safety
Safety
Nine accessories for swimming in the great outdoors
There are few things as exhilarating as an open water swim. Here are nine great cold water swimming accessories to make your next swim even better than your last!
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Mike Major, Chairman of Whitby RNLI, inspecting the model of Mary Ann Hepworth, which is in a glass display cabinet.
People
People
A model maker’s dream: the Mary Ann Hepworth
From fixing the wire rigging to restoring the tiny sails, retired Whitby Coxswain Pete Thomson transforms an historic lifeboat model passed down through the generations. 
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An RNLI inshore D class lifeboat in rough seas with three crew aboard, two lean out to reach for a child in the water on the port side of the lifeboat
Rescue
Rescue
Watch the moment a girl’s life is saved
Dun Laoghaire RNLI volunteers rescue a child from rough seas.
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A portrait of Grace Darling by Thomas Brooks (1818-1891)
People
People
15+ influential women of the RNLI
As the RNLI celebrates 200 years of saving lives at sea, we look back at how women have helped shape the charity into the mighty lifesaving service it is today.
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All stories

In an emergency at the coast, call 999 or 112 and ask for the coastguard.

Float to live campaigner Simon Chrisp on the 200 Voices podcast

200 Voices: Simon Chrisp

Hear Simon tell how Float to Live saved his son's life in Episode 177 of the RNLI 200 Voices podcast

Listen nowMore podcasts

Latest lifeboat launches

Latest launches
D class inshore lifeboat launches from a tractor into heavy surf

True stories of courage

Visit our online magazine to read some of the most thrilling, dramatic and inspiring rescue stories carried out by RNLI lifesavers
Read now