Many lives will be saved at sea – all thanks to a yellow welly.

Lyme Regis RNLI had the honour of starting a 31-day themed relay for charity.

The Yellow Welly Mayday Relay kicked off today when crew, including lifeboat operations manager Nick Marks, his wife Anne, deputy launching authority Ian Marshall and his wife Anne-Marie, set off from the harbour with a yellow welly.

The first leg of the relay took the team to West Bay, where they met with members of the West Bay branch of the charity.

The welly was then taken to Weymouth lifeboat station to be handed over to volunteers there for the second leg.

RNLI volunteers across the south and south east coast have planned a route for the iconic Yellow Welly, which will continue its journey to raise awareness and money for the charity until May 31.

The event will run for the whole month, with fundraising taking place across the whole of the UK and Ireland.

This year, the charity hopes to raise £750,000 through Mayday, which will be used to fund essential kit for the charity's brave volunteer lifeboat crews.

Nick Marks, volunteer lifeboat operations manager at Lyme Regis, said: "RNLI volunteer lifeboat crews around the UK and Ireland are willing to drop everything to go and save lives at sea when they get the call.

"Their specialist kit protects them against extreme conditions, gives them a firm footing on unsteady surfaces, and shields them from injury, allowing them to carry out their lifesaving work.

"The Mayday campaign is our own call for help, as well rely on the generosity of the public to fund this vital kit that helps keep the crews safe when they risk their lives for others."

Money raised through the Mayday fundraising events will help RNLI lifeboat crews to face the harshest conditions at sea with the best kit possible.

Currently, it costs £1,598 to provide one all-weather lifeboat crew member with all of the kit they need when responding to a call for help.

This year, the charity is going yellow for Mayday, just like volunteer crews do everyday to save lives at sea.

For more information, visit RNLI.org/mayday to register for a free Mayday fundraising pack.

The pack provides a host of fundraising ideas, such as encouraging friends and colleagues to get sponsored to run, cycle, walk or bake.