A father whose daughter was swept a mile out to sea and saved by the RNLI is raising money for the charity. 

"Back in July my daughter Lilly was taken over a mile out to sea while on her paddle board. She was taken so far out that we could not see if she was still on it," said David Evans. 

Mr Evans, from Carmarthen, is raising money for the charity by running the Newport marathon on April 13, 2025. 

"For 40 long minutes we did not know if our daughter was alive and we truly believe if it wasn’t for the amazing volunteers, Lilly would not be here with us today," said Mr Evans, recalling the eventful day in July of this year. 

Mr Evans said it was the quick action of the RNLI volunteers that saved his daughter's life, as they went out to retrieve his daughter who had floated a mile off the coast in Pembrokeshire. She had been taken by the current when she was on a stand up paddle board.

Mr Evans said that the RNLI volunteers were the reason his daughter survived the ordeal. 

He said the reason behind his fundraising efforts is to allow the RNLI continue their work in protecting people from situations, like the one his daughter found herself in.  

"This is the reason why we have chosen this as one of our charities so that they can continue helping other families," said Mr Evans.

Mr Evans is running the Newport marathon in April with his friend Jamie, who is also raising money for a charity.

Jamie, who is also from Carmarthen, is raising funds for the charity CCAMA (Carmarthen & Crosshands Autistic Mams Association), which aims to reduce social isolation for families living with autism by providing a supportive community and organizing fun events for neurodiverse children and their siblings.

The two friends have set up a GoFundMe page for donations to the two charities - the RNLI and CCAMA.

They are hoping to raise is £5,000 and they said: "The money we raise will be split equally between the two very important charities."