EVERYONE knows Lyme Regis lifeboat crew is up for a challenge - but their latest isn't directly about saving lives.

This time the team have risen to the challenge of helping the RNLI's iconic yellow welly on its journey around the south coast from Portishead to Harwich, via the 65 lifeboat stations along the way.

The illuminated welly's 31-day fundraising journey throughout May is supposed to take any and all means possible - the more unusual the better, imagination the only limit.

It wasn't just a case of 'pass the welly' though, crew member Seb Cope, helped by RNLI mascot Stormy Stan, met more than 100 pupils from St Michael's School in Lyme Regis .

The illuminated welly is being relayed all along the south-west coast as part of the RNLI’s Mayday fundraising campaign during which the charity hopes to raise £750,000 towards the cost of the kit lifeboat crews have to wear.

Members of the Sidmouth branch of the RNLI brought the welly to Lyme in a 1967 S-type Jaguar. It was delivered to pupils at St.Michael’s School and they handed it over to lifeboat crew member Seb Cope who arrived at the school on his penny farthing bike with the RNLI mascot Stormy Stan.

Seb and Stan then took the welly to Lyme Regis lifeboat station.

On Saturday the welly was taken by the Lyme Regis lifeboat crew to Portland Bill where it was handed over to the three-masted tallship TS Pelican and later collected by RNLI volunteers from Weymouth to continue its journey.

The RNLI volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates more than 230 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and has more than 100 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824 its lifeboat crews and lifeguard have saved more than 137,000 lives.