Mum gives up every free weekend to run for RNLI

Emma Kirwin has run between all the RNLI lifeboat stations in the south-east of England

A mum-of-two has spent all her spare weekends for the last 12 months running between 26 RNLI lifeboat stations.

Emma Kirwin crossed the finish line of her 400-mile fundraiser at the RNLI College in Poole, Dorset, on 19 August.

It took the 47-year-old one year and one day to complete the challenge, which started at Teddington RNLI in London.

Mrs Kirwin, from Littlehampton in West Sussex, has raised more than £2,500 for the charity.

She said she was on her fourth pair of running trainers since starting the challenge.

"What shone through at every station I visited was how proud and committed the volunteer crews are to saving lives," she said.

"Whenever it got hard or the weather turned nasty I would just think about the amazing rescue stories the crews told me. Those stories kept me going."

RNLI crews have saved 146,277 lives since the charity was founded in 1824

Cheered on by her husband Miles and two teenage children, Mrs Kirwin kept track of the lifeboat stations she visited by writing them on a flag.

The flag had been presented to her at the beginning of her journey by the crew at Teddington RNLI.

"I am really inspired by how the volunteer crew members come together from all walks of life with such a strong bond and passion to keep people safe," she added.

"I feel proud to be raising funds for a charity full of so many selfless and dedicated people."