Rachel Kitchen

Share my page

My Activity Tracking

17
mi

My target 31 mi

How your support helped the RNLI in 2024

437 Lives saved

25,327 People aided by lifeboat crews and lifeguards

9,141 Lifeboat launches

I’m taking on the Mayday Mile Challenge to support RNLI volunteers

This May, I’m completing a mile-a-day challenge to help RNLI crews save lives at sea.

Taking part in the RNLI Mayday Mile Challenge feels deeply personal to me. Some of my happiest childhood memories are of visiting lifeboat stations around the UK, watching the boats launch into the sea and imagining the courage it must take to head out into dangerous waters to save lives. I still remember the excitement of receiving my copy of Storm Force magazine and reading story after story of daring rescues, wild weather, and extraordinary acts of bravery at sea.


A huge part of that love came from my Great Uncle Ben, who helped make the RNLI such an important part of my life from an early age. Because of him, I grew up with a deep admiration for the crews and volunteers who give their time — and sometimes risk their lives — to help others.


This challenge is my way of giving something back, while also sharing some of the incredible folklore, history, and human stories connected to the RNLI and saving lives at sea. From legendary rescues to tales of storms and shipwrecks, these stories deserve to be remembered and retold.

Will you sponsor my RNLI Mayday Mile Challenge and support the courageous crews?

My Achievements

Updated Profile Pic

Self donated

Reached 25% of fundraising target

Reached 50% of fundraising target

Reached 100% of fundraising target

Added a Blog Post

Shared fundraising page

Reached 25% of distance target

Reached 50% of distance target

Reached 100% of distance target

My Updates

Grace Darling - National Heroine

Tuesday 12th May

As part of the challenge, I’ve been inspired to explore the heritage of the RNLI and the rich folklore of Britain’s coasts—the stories shaped by storms, shipwrecks, and the communities who live by the sea.

 

One story that immediately came to mind is that of Grace Darling. In 1838, during a violent storm off the Farne Islands, Grace and her father rowed through crashing waves to rescue survivors from the wrecked Forfarshire. Their courage captured the imagination of Victorian Britain, turning Grace into a national heroine and a lasting legend of the sea.

 

Nearly two centuries later, the RNLI continues to launch into darkness and dangerous waters to save lives around our shores. That ongoing bravery is one of the reasons I’m proud to be fundraising for them through the Mayday Mile Challenge.

My Mayday Mile Challenge

Monday 4th May
As the hawthorn blossoms and the wheel of the year turns toward summer, I’m setting out on a small but steady pilgrimage of my own.

This May, my family and I are walking in honour of the RNLI —a cause woven through our lives like a well-told story passed from one generation to the next.

I’ll be taking on the Mayday Mile: a mile each day, a quiet rhythm of footsteps offered in support of the volunteer crews who keep watch at the edges of land and sea.

For as the sun grows stronger and the coasts call people outward—to bright shores, salt air, and the pull of the tide—so too does the sea remind us of its deeper nature. With the turning season comes a rising need, and the call goes out: Mayday.

The lifeboat crews answer that call without hesitation. They launch into uncertain waters, guided by courage, skill, and a deep-rooted care for others.

If you feel called to be part of this story, you can lend your support. A gift, however small, helps keep those boats ready, those crews prepared, and those lives saved.

Will you sponsor my Mayday Mile, and stand with those who answer the sea’s call? 🌊

Thank you to my Sponsors

£11.33

Auntie El X

A little something to get you started! Fabulous cause - sterling effort! One more step along the world you go…..love you xx

£6.11

Rachel Kitchen

Show more