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Five lifeboat crew members from Gravesend Lifeboat wearing inshore lifeboat kit pose for a group photo

Our people

RNLI/Nathan Williams

The RNLI is made up of dedicated volunteers and staff members, all playing their part as one crew, working together to save every one we can. Ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

The RNLI is a lifesaving organisation formed from people of all ages and backgrounds. From the volunteers who crew the lifeboats, to those who shake a bucket as a fundraiser, the RNLI couldn’t save lives without the selfless dedication of our people.

Meet the RNLI people

A female crew member onboard a lifeboat at sea wearing RNLI crew kit. She is joined by a fellow male volunteer and they are looking over the horizon together on a sunny day with blue sky.
Lifeboat station volunteers
Our trained station volunteers are at the centre of RNLI lifesaving around our coasts.
Meet our lifeboat station volunteers
Two lifeguards patrolling the beach
Lifeguards
RNLI lifeguards save lives on the beach and in the community.
Meet our lifeguards
Maxwell Callister, fundraising volunteer, with some of the tools of the trade
Fundraising volunteers
Our community fundraising volunteers raise vital funds for our lifesaving work.
Meet our fundraising volunteers
A male RNLI staff member working in the All-Weather Lifeboat Centre (ALC) at RNLI Support Centre in Poole.
Our staff
Working behind the scenes is the team behind our lifeboat crews, lifeguards and safety campaigns.
Meet our staff

5,700+ lifeboat crew members

4,000+ shore crew

1,632 lifeguards on patrol

97% of RNLI lifesavers are volunteers

A Barrow RNLI shop volunteer hangs a branded T shirt on a hook onto a rack of clothes

Join our people

Find a volunteering opportunity near you and become a part of our lifesaving family

Other ways you can support the RNLI

A female heritage volunteer wearing a headscarf and using wheelchair is pictured smiling and facing the camera. She is in a library with books in the background.
Heritage volunteers
Our heritage volunteers keep our stories of courage and innovation alive.
Meet our heritage volunteers
A female RNLI Education volunteer giving prevention and safety advice to the children of Coldfall primary School in London.
Community safety and youth education volunteers
Volunteers dedicated to raising water safety awareness in communities and at schools.
Meet our safety and education volunteers
A female RNLI volunteer talking to a member of the public in front of an informative display.
Promoting the RNLI
People who help to make our voice heard and attract new supporters.
Meet our champions
We are one crew
Equality, diversity and inclusion
Whoever we are and wherever we’re from, we stand together as one crew.
Find out more