DOCTOR’s daughter Emma Higgie is giving up a Sunday morning to run in this month’s London Marathon after watching her father give up more than 1,000 Sundays and other days to support Minehead’s Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) volunteer crews.

Dr John Higgie is the Minehead station’s long-serving lifeboat operations manager and now his daughter Emma is raising funds for the charity with her marathon run.

Ms Higgie said: “The RNLI charity has been part of my life since childhood.

“Growing up in Minehead, I have seen first-hand the grit, determination, and courage the volunteer crew give to complete strangers.

“My dad has been part of the Minehead crew for decades.

“He has given up over a thousand Sundays, early mornings, late nights, missed dinners, and countless moments where the pager went off and he simply went, including leaving me stranded on North Hill more than once.

“If he can give up all those Sundays, I can give up one to run 26.2 miles for an amazing cause.

RNLI chairman Peter Sparkes and his wife Karen recently visited to meet Minehead lifeboat volunteers.
RNLI chairman Peter Sparkes and his wife Karen recently visited to meet Minehead lifeboat volunteers. (RNLI)

“I have gone from being a self-confessed sofa slug to to training for one of the biggest challenges of my life.

“But, every mile is worth it, because too many people are still drowning.

“More than ever, we need the RNLI’s help.

“The RNLI is a charity, not a Government service, and relies entirely on donations to keep saving lives.

“By supporting my marathon journey, you are not just cheering me on, you are helping the RNLI continue its lifesaving work.

“Every donation, big or small, genuinely makes a difference.”

Ms Higgie has set up a JustGiving fund-raising page and quickly broke her £500 target by raising nearly £700.

Dr Higgie recently welcomed to the Minehead station RNLI chairman Peter Sparkes and his wife Karen, who visited to meet the volunteers and discuss the charity’s plans for the future.