Three-year-old Finlay walks for RNLI – and his daddy
The three-year-old son of a Kyle of Lochalsh RNLI helmsman has started a 31-mile quest to help raise money for the lifeboat service.
Finlay MacDonald, whose father Andrew has volunteered with the RNLI since 2012, took up the challenge to walk a mile each day of May because he “wanted to buy petrol” for the lifeboat.
Accompanied on his “Walking for Daddy” mission by his mother, and Andrew’s partner, Heather Loughlin, weekdays will see Finlay do his walk after his school day, while weekends will allow the pair to travel further afield for variation.
“On his first day he was very excited,” explains Andrew, who also works as an ambulance technician. “He was wearing his shorts to school so he was ready.”
His son, Andrew adds, is attracted to the RNLI because “he loves anything mechanical” and is a fan of sitting in the lifeboat and on the tractor when he visits the station.
The idea of being like his father also helps.
“Finlay is going through that stage where he wants to be like his dad. He said when he is big enough he wants to be part of a boat.”
The RNLI, which is celebrating its 200th anniversary in 2024, is funded entirely by donations. It operates 46 stations in Scotland, including Kyle of Lochalsh, Portree, and Mallaig, and its Scottish vessels were launched 1251 times in 2023.
In the UK, the charity has saved over 140000 lives at sea since it was established in 1824.
The “Mayday Mile” challenge - in which the RNLI encourages people to move a mile a day by whatever physical means possible – is one of the largest parts of its fundraising calendar, although few participants are as young as Finlay.
Despite his son’s age, Andrew is certain Finlay will complete the task.
“I think he will do great,” Andrew said. “He has got my stubborn streak so when he decides he wants to do something – or doesn’t want to do it – that is what happens. So I have no doubt he will do it.
“It definitely does make me proud, especially because it was his idea. It makes me very proud.”
With an initial target of £200 already accomplished before Finlay set off, the family are now hoping to hit £400.
Anyone wishing to donate to Finlay’s Walking for Daddy challenge can do so via the RNLI fundraising page. Link: https://fundraise.rnli.org/fundraisers/ walkingfordaddy.