Number of people helped by RNLI in UK and Channel Islands doubled in 2025 | Charities
Number of people helped RNLI lifeguards The number of cases on the UK and Channel Islands beaches doubled last year and the charity believes the Middle East crisis could lead to an even busier spring and summer in 2026.
RNLI lifeguards came to the aid of around 18,000 people in 2023 and 2024, rising to over 35,000 in 2025; This increase was due to pleasant weather conditions and increased interest in seaside activities.
The charity, which is celebrating 25 years of providing lifeguards, is gearing up for another bumper year as the rising cost of living sees more people choosing to stay closer to home for holidays and traveling to some long-distance holiday destinations becomes less appealing.
RNLI lifeguard chief executive Peter Dawes said: “Statistics change every year depending on the weather. “Last year, a lot of people went to the beach as most of the summer was pretty good.
“The other variable that comes into play is the broader economic variable. If a lot of people stay here on holiday, then we’ll be busier. That’s something we’re monitoring right now with what’s going on around the world. We’re constantly assessing the risks to our beaches, but part of it is how people will interact with the beaches. You’ve got to be prepared.”
The RNLI began patrolling in 2001; popular spots in Dorset and Cornwall are covered first and It currently operates at almost 250 beaches.
RNLI lifeguards have saved 2,165 lives over 25 yearsAid was provided to 459,354 people. Their assistance includes water rescue, retrieving lost children, and providing first aid and casualty care.
They have responded to 333,330 incidents and taken more than 48 million preventive actions, such as advising swimmers to move away from currents or rocks or asking water users such as paddle boarders or surfers to change positions for their safety.
Dawes said other factors increasing the workload of RNLI lifeguards ranged from the development of wetsuit technology to sports trends allowing people to stay in the water for longer periods of time, and not just during the hot summer months.
“At different stages, we’ve watched coasteering evolve and how more people are turning to stand-up paddleboards. People are finding new and different ways to potentially get into trouble, and we have to find new and different ways to support them.”
Lewis Timson, a lifeboat supervisor in Newquay, Cornwall, has been with the RNLI for 25 years.
He said the job had changed and was now about preventing people from getting into trouble rather than rescuing them when they were in trouble. “Twenty years ago, you would have been putting up flags and monitoring, but you probably would have been doing a lot more rescues and doing a lot more of the proactive work of communicating safety messages.
“They say a good lifeguard never gets wet, but in reality, when there are hundreds of people on the beach, the odds are stacked against you and you end up having to make a rescue.”
Surfing and cold water swimming are much more popular than in 2001. “There are always hundreds of surfers in the water. But every year a new technology comes out; kitesurfing, foil boards, electric foil boards… The ocean is for everyone, so we try to do the best we can,” Timson said.
Rescues he particularly remembers include: They rescued the child trapped in the collapsed hole on the beach Only his head was visible and lifeguards had to give the boy oxygen because the pressure on his chest was so intense. The same thing happened in 2021. a man was completely buried in the sand and lifeguards asked 25 members of the public for help to get him out.
Lifeguards will be on duty at 39 beaches over the Easter weekend. The number of lifeguarded beaches will increase until there are more than 245 in July.
