Dear Family & Friends,

I am doing the Cardiff Half Marathon on 1st October to raise funds for the Dart RNLI Lifeboat Station Appeal. Living near Dartmouth and being lucky enough to spend a lot of time in and around the water, it's a cause very close to my heart.

The original lifeboat station cost £300 and was built on land owned by Raleigh Estates. The lifeboat station was sold for £100 when it was closed in 1896. The existing Dart Lifeboat Station was established in 2007 when a temporary Lifeboat Station was constructed on Coronation Park.

The Dart RNLI Lifeboat Station Appeal has been launched to fund the £1.3 million cost of renovating the original lifeboat station which will house the station's D-Class lifeboat. The station will provide modern facilities, which include dedicated changing, workshop, training, and crew welfare facilities. Launch times will be significantly reduced as the site is adjacent to the river and will almost certainly result in more lives being saved.

If you've ever watched the TV programme 'Saving Lives At Sea', you can't fail to be impressed by the sheer dedication and bravery of the volunteer crews. Whether we live near or far from the water, any one of us may find ourselves in need of help from the RNLI. Not only sailors but swimmers, paddleboarders, kayakers, coastal path walkers and pet owners (yes they rescue quite a few pets too!)

As many of you know, I'm an occasional runner and previously my longest runs have been Parkruns of just over 3 miles. I've been training a few times a week since April and am now able to run considerably further and I'm optimistic that with the help of some bananas, energy bars and jelly babies, I'll be able to complete the half marathon.

These are financially challenging times for us all, so I'd really appreciate donations of any size to the appeal. With your help we can provide volunteer crews and their support teams with the facilities that they need to continue their work of saving lives along the Devon Coastline.

Thanks in advance.

Jane x