Minehead RNLI crew member to tackle South West Coast Path

"With courage nothing is impossible". The words of RNLI founder Sir William Hillary still ring true today, 200 years later. Every day, small acts of heroism occur across the British Isles in the name of Saving Lives At Sea.

Minehead crewman Rob Hickley is known as something of an aquatic action man around Minehead, a regular on the Kitesurfing circuit and a key part of the afloat crew.

At the end of March, Rob will swap his drysuit and wellies for walking boots to tackle a different challenge: All 630 miles of the South West Coast Path, in one go, in 31 days flat. The scale of this challenge can be illustrated by some of the statistics- During Rob's walk he will climb nearly 115,000 feet- Four times the height of Mount Everest. He will cross 2,473 waymarks, 302 bridges and 931 stiles.

Rob is completing the walk alone and unsupported, carrying everything he needs for the trip such as camping supplies on his back, and relying on regular "supply drops" at Post Offices along the way for food. He will be joined at various stages by friends and fellow crew from Minehead to offer moral support.

Rob commented "The South West Coast Path is an iconic part of the coast here. It's beautiful but tough, and whilst I have been training for months completing it in one go, averaging over 20 miles a day, is a real challenge".

Rob aims to raise £5000 to support the vital lifesaving work of the RNLI, donations can be made via the following link:

https://www.justgiving.com/page/rob-hickley-1724786017590?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL

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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