TRANMERE Rovers players swapped their team colours for the RNLI's bright yellow lifeboat gear in a bid to encourage local fundraising for the charity.

Ritchie Sutton, Paddy Wharton and James Devine were joined by Hoylake lifeboat station crewmen Peter Nicholas and Alan Roberts for the event, part of the fundraising campaign.

Ritchie Sutton said: "The RNLI's new kit certainly made it over the line with us!

"It's surprisingly flexible and lightweight – just what their crew members need for their lifesaving rescue work.

"The volunteer lifeboat crews are on call 24 hours a day, every day, to save lives at sea. They are true heroes.”

The RNLI's annual Mayday fundraising campaign runs throughout May.

This year, the charity aims to raise £750,000 to fund the vital lifesaving kit for their 4,800 volunteers across the UK & Ireland.

Peter Nicholas RNLI volunteer crew member, from Hoylake lifeboat station: "We all depend on our kit to keep us warm, dry and safe whilst we get on with the job of saving lives at sea.

"Having the right kit allows us to focus on the task in hand.

"People can drown in in a matter of minutes, so we can't waste time worrying that things don't fit or don't work to protect us from the elements.

"It's why the Mayday campaign is so important, raising money to fund the essential kit we rely on every time the call comes in."

To find a Mayday event near you, or to download a fundraising pack, visit www.RNLI.org/mayday