Fred. Olsen passengers and crew raise more than £6K for charity

The challenge on board Borealis came after a couple set themselves a feat to complete 10 marathons each to raise money for the charity.

To help them towards their fundraising, Fred. Olsen challenged fellow passengers and crew to see if they could travel the 30,828 miles of their cruise by walking, running, cycling, swimming or any other means before the end of their voyage in May.

Sammie Firbanks, Borealis’ entertainment manager who orchestrated the challenge, said, ‘Our guests and crew achieved an incredible feat by managing to travel a distance of 34,849 miles, far more than the original target.’

Firbanks said there was ‘a real show of togetherness,’ noting the line has worked with the RNLI for more than 50 years. 

Passengers completed sponsored laps of the deck and logged miles walked ashore as they explored destinations, while crew completed sponsored relay races in the pool.

Following in the footsteps of Phileas Fogg

Jayne George, fundraising director at the RNLI, said, ‘Fundraisers like these are the lifeblood of the RNLI. The money they raise powers our rescues on beaches and from lifeboat stations.’ 

The cruise followed as closely as possible in the footsteps of fictional explorer Phileas Fogg. Borealis took passengers to Europe, Egypt, India, Singapore, Japan, Hawaii, Mexico, Costa Rica, Colombia and the Caribbean.