TV favourites including Dermot O’Leary have started a yellow welly relay in support of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

The charity’s Mayday campaign is being showcased on social media and celebrities have created a post featuring the iconic RNLI yellow welly as a way of passing on the fundraising message.

MasterChef winner Jane Devonshire, presenter Fern Britton, chef Mark Hix and TV star Hannah Jackson are also joining the social relay.

Dermot said: “I was brought up on the east coast of England so the RNLI, the lifeboats, the brave volunteer crews and hardy fundraisers were a focal part of my growing up.

“I knew the stories, the unbelievable bravery of normal, everyday people going out to sea to help people in distress.”

The RNLI’s Mayday campaign runs throughout May and aims to raise £700,000 to fund lifesaving kit.