Event Support Volunteer (York Train Station)

Could you spare a few hours on Saturday 10th October 2026 to help at Lifeboat Saturday, an RNLI annual street collection with kindness and community at its heart?

We are looking for volunteers to join us at this Lifeboat Saturday bucket collection at York Train Station to raise money to help save more lives at sea. This is a great opportunity to work as a team, meet new people, have fun and boost your CV.

No matter your availability, there are sessions throughout the day from 8am to 5pm, allowing you to make a real difference at a time that suits you.

8am - 12.30pm

12.30pm - 5pm

Or:

8am - 10am

10am - 12pm

12pm - 2.30pm

2.30pm - 5pm

We'll be collecting at York Train Station, raising vital funds to support the RNLI's lifesaving work and chatting with supporters throughout the day. Whether you're an experienced volunteer or getting involved for the first time, we'd love to have you on the team.

The first ever Lifeboat Saturday was in 1891 and changed the face of fundraising forever. It happened after the worst disaster in RNLI history when, on 10 December 1886, 27 lifeboatmen from Southport and St Anne’s lost their lives while attempting to rescue the crew from the German barque Mexico.

The RNLI launched a public appeal to support the 16 widows, and 50 children left behind. Sir Charles Macara, a local wealthy industrialist and RNLI volunteer, answered the call for help. He and his wife, Lady Marion Macara, decided to organise a collection – Lifeboat Saturday. It was the world’s first recorded charity street collection. More than 30,000 people lined the streets of Manchester and raised over £5,000 together (that’s over £500,000 today).

Today the RNLI continues to save lives at sea, with over 25,000 people aided and 437 lives saved last year, and you can be a part of that.