Blackpool RNLI volunteers saved 10 lives across 91 launches in 2025 during 6th-busiest year on record

The RNLI has released new data from 2025, which shows lifeboats in the North West launched 393 times last year, saving 22 lives.

Blackpool was amongst the North West’s busiest RNLI stations in terms of launches and lives saved, with the station’s volunteer crew having launched 91 times in 2025, with over 50% of those being in darkness, saving 10 people.

The total number of launches for RNLI stations in Lancashire (Morecambe, Fleetwood, Blackpool and Lytham St Annes) went from 188 in 2024, to 196 in 2025. Merseyside RNLI lifeboat stations New Brighton, Hoylake and West Kirby, saw their launches increase from 89 in 2024 to 107 in 2025.

Across the UK, Ireland and the Channel Islands, RNLI lifeboat crews helped 8,290 people and saved 272 lives as the charity’s lifeboats launched more than 9,000 times in 2025, making it the sixth-busiest year in the charity’s history.

The RNLI data shows the high demand on lifeboat crews across the charity’s 238 lifeboat stations, and so the charity is putting out its own ‘Mayday’ call, urging the public to get involved with its biggest national fundraising event, the Mayday Mile, to help fund its vital lifesaving service.

Whether you choose to walk, jog, hop or skip, a mile every day in May will help raise vital funds for RNLI lifesavers, so that they can continue to keep people safe at sea.

Kate Eardley, Head of International Global Drowning Prevention at the RNLI, said: “These latest statistics make it clear that our lifesaving service remains as vital as ever. Whether it’s paddleboarders caught by offshore winds, walkers stranded by the tide or boaters in difficulty, our crews are answering calls every day of the year.

“Taking part in the Mayday Mile is a simple way for people to support our volunteers. Every pound raised helps ensure our crews can launch at a moment’s notice — and be there for families when they need us most.’