Seat Dealership Couple Raise Thousands For Charity With Gruelling Kilimanjaro Climb

MILTON KEYNES, UNITED KINGDOM – Aug 5, 2013: The husband and wife team that run SEAT dealership Grants in Braintree, Essex, have raised £8,400 for charity by succeeding where plenty before them have failed – reaching the summit of Kilimanjaro.

It took Darren and Katie Williams five arduous days to complete the 35-mile trek from the entry gate to the summit, climbing for up to 14 hours per day; the couple made it to the Uhuru peak via the Lemosho route – one of six official routes up the mountain, known for its remoteness and stunning forest scenery. It took them two days to climb back down.

“We are absolutely delighted to have made it to the top of Kilimanjaro, and to have raised so much for causes that are so close to our hearts,” said Grants SEAT Dealer Principal Darren.

But it wasn’t easy, by any means. Standing almost 6,000 metres above sea level, Kilimanjaro is the world’s highest free-standing mountain, and aside from the small issue of dealing with the altitude, Darren and Katie also had to cope with temperature extremes ranging from -30 degrees to 30 degrees centigrade. It’s estimated that around one-third of those that attempt to reach Kilimanjaro’s peak fail to do so.

“We trained extremely hard for five months prior to the climb and we’re fairly regular gym users,” said Katie, “but we’d not done any trekking before so this was entirely new. We went out on shorter treks wearing 10 kg backpacks to get used to carrying the weight of the water we’d need – and to break in our walking boots.

“On the way up we’d get regular reminders of the seriousness of the climb – it can affect people very suddenly and in very different ways. A few times we saw people being carried back down the mountain who were really unwell because of altitude sickness, pure exhaustion – or both.

“After seeing that, at times it felt like every step we took was a ticking time bomb, which added to the stress of the whole thing. The cold was a problem too – a couple of times I thought my fingers might stay in my gloves as I was taking them off, and I’ve still not got all the feeling back in the ends of my fingers and toes.”

It was worth it, though, because Darren and Katie were able to raise £8,400, which will be split 50/50 between Autism Anglia and Ben, the automotive industry charity.

For the last five years Darren and Katie have regularly undertaken fundraising events for Autism Anglia – Darren’s son Grant, who the dealership is named after, is autistic. The Kilimanjaro donation takes the couple’s total giving to Autism Anglia beyond the £10,000 mark.

“Katie and Darren have shown fantastic support for us over the years,” said Autism Anglia’s Anna Rogers. “The Kilimanjaro trip is by far their most impressive fundraising challenge and we’re immensely proud of them for having reached the summit.

“It’s not just the money they raise that we’re grateful for, but their unwavering dedication to our cause and the amount of awareness that they generate,” continued Anna.

Grants SEAT in Braintree is an award-winning SEAT dealership renowned for its pioneering social media and digital marketing work, as well as its excellent customer service record. It was recently shortlisted for two AM awards: Best Dealer Principal and Best Digital Marketing.

Please contact the SEAT Press office for more information on Darren and Katie’s Kilimanjaro adventure, or tune into BBC Radio Essex at 2:25pm on Tuesday 6 August to hear Katie tell the full story.