A pair of lifeboat volunteers will be taking to the London Underground in full lifesaving kit on Saturday 19 February in an attempt to visit 200 tube stations in a day and raise vital funds for the RNLI
As well as visiting a double century of stations, the crew will also be visiting all four RNLI Thames Lifeboat Stations (Chiswick, Teddington, Tower and Gravesend) over the weekend.
Travelling in full all-weather lifeboat kit, including helmets and lifejackets, the two volunteers will start their journey from Tower RNLI Lifeboat Station by Waterloo Bridge and 5am on Saturday and then head to Temple Underground Station for the first departure of the day. The challenge is expected to take more than 16 hours and will be one of endurance, but also of adventure.
This year the charity’s four River Thames stations celebrate 20 years of search and rescue on the tidal river, so visiting the station’s was a must for Skegness RNLI lifeboat crew member Brad Johnson, who is undertaking 200 challenges between now and 2024 when the RNLI will celebrate its 200th anniversary. He will be accompanied on the challenge by fellow crew member Nick Walton.
Brad said: “I cannot wait to take on this challenge around the capital. I’ve seen the full challenge completed so many times and it just made sense to try and complete 200 stations. I think the hardest part will be wearing the full lifeboat kit underground for nearly 16 hours, but that’s all part of the fun.
“It’s also going to be fantastic to meet the RNLI crews from Chiswick, Teddington, Tower and Gravesend. Meeting other crew from the RNLI family is always a pleasure and it will be fantastic to learn how their river operations differ from what we do at Skegness.”
Brad is fundraising for Skegness RNLI Lifeboat Station for his ‘200 for 200 Challenge’. Other challenges he has planned including tying and un-tying a knot 200 times, spending 24 hours on an all-weather lifeboat and experiencing what a full day in a life-raft feels like.
To find out more about the challenges being taken on by Brad and his crewmates by visit the following:
More information on challenges: https://lifeboatfundraising.org/200
JustGiving: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/rnli200
Facebook: facebook.com/rnli200
Instagram: RNLI200
