Intrepid duo to climb Kilimanjaro for Exmouth RNLI

Adventurers Darren Strode and Andy Beake, both from Exmouth, will be donning their climbing boots and flying off to Tanzania on 14 January to ascend Mount Kilimanjaro in order to raise much needed funds for the local RNLI, the charity that saves lives at sea.

Their expedition, scheduled to start on 17 January, is expected to take the pair seven hard and difficult days of climbing to conquer the 5895 metre (19,341 feet) summit of the highest free standing mountain in the world.

Darren, a Sales Manager, said “Andy and I live in Exmouth and both ourselves, family and friends all use the beach and water sports activities. We set our sights on climbing Mount Kilimanjaro this year and thought what better way to use the opportunity than to help raise funds for our local RNLI lifesavers.”

Andy, a Police Officer in the Avon & Somerset Police, said “We’ve been good friends for a long time and living so close to the coast fully appreciate the fact that in Exmouth RNLI we have a group of volunteers who give up their time and are prepared to put themselves at risk to save people in difficulty at sea. We’ve always wanted to climb Kilimanjaro and to do so whilst raising funds for this important charity makes it all the more worthwhile.”

Des White, Chair of Exmouth RNLI Fundraising Team, said “We’ve had some extraordinary individuals take on some incredible feats to raise funds for Exmouth RNLI in the past, but I think this one probably tops them all. On behalf of all our volunteers at Exmouth RNLI, I’d like to say a big thank you to Darren and Andy for raising funds for us - we will all be watching their progress keenly and wish them all the very best in their quest to reach the summit.”

If you would like to support Darren and Andy and help them raise funds for Exmouth RNLI, you can do so at this link :

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/andy-darren-kilimanjaro-trek

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.

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For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, X, TikTok and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.

Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.