The best thing about this job is the people

While putting Lifeboat magazine together, we get to speak with some incredible people. They all say they’re just regular folk, but we know they’re achieving extraordinary things. This spring, we asked our lifesavers to share the moment when ‘I can’t do it’ becomes ‘I can’. Sometimes the turnaround is due to teamwork, or training. And sometimes it’s as simple as knowing that they’re someone’s last hope. You can read their stories from page 24. It was also a treat to chat with TV star Dermot O’Leary, who told us he’d love to join a lifeboat crew but would need a lot of training. That’s OK, Dermot – most of our volunteers join us with no professional seafaring experience. We’re ready when you are. You can do it!

Finally, I know many of you will be pleased to hear that the RNLI’s online shop is back up and running. Thank you for your patience while we worked on improving the service. The all-new shop.RNLI.org has all your old favourites (like the smart Lifeboats polo shirt I’m wearing here!) with exciting new ranges due to be added soon. However you choose to support the RNLI, you’re making a real difference around the coast. If we’re going to halve coastal drowning around the UK and Ireland by 2024, our volunteers need you onboard. Together, we can do it.
Mairéad Dwane
@mazzadi