Exmouth pair summit Kilimanjaro

Raising money for Exmouth RNLI

Two Devon friends have made it to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro to raise funds for Exmouth RNLI and commemorate landmark birthdays.

Darren Strode and Andy Beake, both from Exmouth, are both celebrating turning 50.

To show they're not past it has-beens, they headed to Africa, and shot up the continent's largest mountain within eight days.

They made it to the top of the 5895 metre (19,341 feet) peak on Sunday morning [23 January].

Mr Store emailed the Exmouth RNLI from Tasmania to report: “We managed to set off on the trek a day early and have just got back to the hotel after reaching the summit of Kilimanjaro this morning. It was a tough climb but both Andy and I successfully made it to the peak. It was an amazing journey and we are so proud to be flying the flag for Exmouth RNLI.”

On their JustGiving page they explain their decision to raise money for the local RNLI. "The Exmouth lifeboat and shore crew consists of approximately 30 volunteers," they say. "All are from very different backgrounds. Some work for other emergency services while others are boat builders, sales executives, and IT technicians. In 2018 the crew were called to launch 73 times, assisted 53 people, and saved 3 lives – and that is just our local RNLI."

They continue: "Most of these brave individuals are volunteers, who give up their time and are prepared to put themselves at risk to save people in difficulty at sea. We live in Exmouth and both ourselves, family and friends all use the beach and water sports activities and do so knowing if we did get into trouble in the water, help is always there. 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 this important charity.

“We both 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.”

Des White, chair of Exmouth RNLI fundraising team, said: “I never doubted Darren and Andy’s enthusiasm to take on and succeed in reaching the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. It really is an incredible achievement and I must congratulate them on their determination and success on completing this arduous, difficult and dangerous feat. On behalf of all our volunteers at Exmouth RNLI, I’d like to say a big thank you to them both for raising funds for us – thank you, and very well done!”

You can still support Darren and Andy and help them raise funds for Exmouth RNLI at: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/andy-darren-kilimanjaro-trek