Our energetic supporters have stuffed their yellow wellies with cash, cheered hundreds of tiny boats along the Thames and tearfully abandoned their favourite drinks, in an action-packed season of fundraising.

Already a successful annual fundraising day in the Republic of Ireland, Mayday was celebrated all over the UK for the first time this Spring. Thousands of volunteers and supporters went the extra mile to answer our Mayday call. They braved the weather with collections and fun days, poured hundreds of cups of tea to support our crews and took urban knitting to a new level using the iconic yellow welly. They raised over £510,000 to help save lives at sea – an amazing total. A host of celebrities also showed their support by pulling on yellow wellies. They included five times Olympic Gold Medallist rower Sir Steve Redgrave (pictured), broadcasters Lisa Snowdon and Dave Berry, and Virgin Group founder Richard Branson (see page 31).

Mayday came hot on the heels of another fundraising success in April – Alternative Boat Race teams cheered 250 miniature Severn class lifeboats as they raced down the same stretch of the Thames famously rowed by Oxford and Cambridge boat race teams.

Then, in June, strong-willed supporters gave up all liquid refreshment except water for our gruelling 10-day H2Only challenge.