The Royal National Lifeboat Institution is the charity that saves lives at sea. Our volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the UK and Irish coasts. We operate 237 lifeboat stations and have lifeguard units on more than 180 beaches around the UK. We’re independent of HM Coastguard and the government, and we depend on the generosity of people like you to maintain our rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, our lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved more than 140,000 lives.