Western Harbour

Margaret and Allan at Newhaven Harbour

Western Harbour Hoofs into Action

🎄 Reindeer Run 2025 Begins! 🦌

Hello lovely supporters, festive cheerleaders, and anyone who’s stumbled here while googling “Can you train a reindeer to walk 24 miles?” (short answer: no, but we’re giving it a go anyway).

Welcome to the very first blog from the Western Harbour Reindeer Run Team, proudly trotting out of the Western Harbour area of Newhaven, Edinburgh — home of strong sea breezes, suspiciously large seagulls, and now… a bunch of humans pretending to be reindeer for a very good cause.

Yes, that’s right — this December, while most people are sensibly wrapping gifts and arguing about whose turn it is to buy the mince pies, we’ll be walking (or wobbling, limping or briskly shuffling) a total of 24 miles to raise money for the RNLI Christmas Reindeer Run.

Why? Because Lifeboats Don’t Power Themselves…

The RNLI saves lives at sea 24/7 — and while their boats are incredibly sturdy, they unfortunately do not run on Cake, Christmas spirit, or the tears of elves. They run on donations from wonderful people like you.

One of our team members, has just recovered from an eye operation, another has recently had a new knee and there is a volunteer with the RNLI Edinburgh Fundraising Group. If you’ve ever tossed coins into a very cold-looking bucket being enthusiastically rattled near a supermarket entrance — there’s a good chance that was Allan. He’s swapped his bucket for tinsel and walking boots this December, and we’re all following along (some more gracefully than others).

The Plan (loose, optimistic, fuelled by hot chocolate)

• 24 miles throughout December 2025 — that’s roughly a mile a day, or three laps of your kitchen if you’re hiding from the weather.
• We’ll be tackling pavements, promenades, and possibly a few rogue festive markets.
• Regular updates will be posted here, complete with mileage, morale levels, and possibly photos of us looking windswept beside the lighthouse.

What You Can Expect from This Blog

✔️ Updates on our mileage
✔️ Photographic evidence of bravery, rain, and possibly reindeer antlers
✔️ Lots of gratitude for our amazing, generous supporters
✔️ Occasional whining about blisters (seasonally appropriate whining, of course)

How You Can Help

If you’d like to support our slightly chilly, slightly glitter-covered efforts, please donate, share our page, or simply cheer us on! Every penny helps the RNLI continue their lifesaving work — and encourages us to walk just one more mile instead of hiding indoors with a box of Quality Street.

Grab your scarves, hold onto your antlers — and let’s make this December one to remember (preferably for good reasons).

Team Western Harbour, trotting off to stretch our legs…and our festive spirit.

We're taking on the Reindeer Run Challenge for RNLI lifesavers

This December, we're donning our antlers and strapping up our 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.

We're 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. We’d be so grateful if you could sponsor us.