Blue Peter lifeboats are a series of lifeboats, provided to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), which were funded by some of the annual appeals held by the BBC TV children's programme Blue Peter.
An appeal in 1966 provided four inshore lifeboats, which went on service in 1967 and 1968.
Three further appeals resulted in and lifeboats being placed at six stations, a All-weather lifeboat being placed at , and one Inshore lifeboat being retained in the relief fleet; the latter being transferred to various stations as operations and maintenance required.
A total of 28 lifeboats have been funded by the various Blue Peter appeals, and have served at the following stations; the name of the lifeboat remaining with the station, even when the lifeboat was replaced.
As of March 2026, just two Blue Peter lifeboats remain on service:
One of the annual features of the BBC TV children's programme Blue Peter was a fundraising appeal. Rather than asking for money, programme editor Biddy Baxter decided to make it possible for even the poorest children to be able to contribute. The first appeal was held in 1962, when viewers were asked to collect postage stamps, to raise money for homes for the homeless.
In 1964, in response to an increasing amount of water-based leisure activity, the RNLI placed 25 small fast Inshore lifeboats around the country. These were easily launched with just a few people, ideal to respond quickly to local emergencies.
The target of the 1966 Blue Peter appeal was the donation of 60,000 paperback books, the sale of which would fund one new Inshore lifeboat for the RNLI. At the end of the appeal, 250,000 paperback books had been sent in. Instead of just one lifeboat, four new lifeboats were provided. Three former lifeboat stations, at , , and , were re-established, and a Blue Peter lifeboat placed there on service in 1967. A completely new station opened at in 1968.
On 8 June 1972, a second appeal was made, to provide replacement lifeboats for the four Inshore lifeboats. Paperback books were once again requested for the appeal.
Blue Peter held a "Double Lifesaver" appeal in 1984, when viewers were requested to send in stamps, buttons and postcards. The money raised went to fund water tanks and pumps in Ethiopia, along with another set of Inshore lifeboats. Enough funds were raised that a fifth boat was provided to in Northern Ireland, and a Inshore lifeboat Blue Peter VI (D-340) was later added to the relief fleet, which might be sent to any station, to cover for maintenance and repairs.
When Blue Peter launched their annual appeal in November 1993, the target was to raise enough money to replace six Inshore lifeboats, at , , , , and . Such was the enormous success of the "Pieces of Eight" appeal, which raised over ã1.4 million, that for the first time, there was also enough money to fund an All-weather lifeboat.
[[File:RNLI RIB B-779 Blue Peter 1 speeding up the Arun (geograph 4864592).jpg|thumb|right|