Wrapping Up 2024 with RARE FLYERS

The end of 2024 was a whirlwind of activity for RARE FLYERS, as our team fully embraced the festive season.

On December 16th, Trevor, Nikki, Amanda, and Dan joined the fun-filled Christmas Run in support of Arlo’s Adventure, a local Isle of Man charity.

Eric, Vaughan, Lucas, and Dan took part in the Isle of Man Bank Santa Dash. Dan even won the prize draw, and in the giving spirit of the season, donated his winnings to Isle Listen. It was a well-attended event, and we can’t wait to be part of it again next year!

To cap it all off, the Van der Merwe family made their annual Christmas Park Run, decked out in full festive gear.

As we move into 2025, we’re excited to have several charity activities already on the calendar. The first one to watch for is the Flutter International Hospice Half Marathon, happening on March 23rd, 2025. Next will be the Isle of Man Easter Festival followed by the Parish Walk in Summer. See you there!

The RARE FLYERS have been taking their adventures to new heights—raising awareness for hospice while soaking up the great outdoors! Want to be part of something amazing? Support our mission to bring comfort, care, and compassion to hospice patients—every little bit helps!

Dan recently breathed in the beauty of South Africa's Drakensberg mountains, while Nikki and Trevor turned a business trip in the Middle East into a sightseeing marathon (by foot, of course!). Meanwhile, Scott in America, has been sharing seaside strolls along the beach.

And we’re not stopping there! Catch us at a few charity Christmas runs across the Isle of Man this season. Why not lace up your sneakers and join the fun? Together, we can make a difference!

RARE FLYERS have been on the move! In preparation for our epic climb of Kilimanjaro next June, we have been training in a variety of ways - from running the Comrades Ultra-marathon, completing the London 10K, hiking from Laxey to the summit of Snaefell and park-running. You can find us volunteering at our local Nobles Parkrun. We post regular up-dates of our activities on our Just Giving page.

The RARE FLYERS are planning to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in June 2025. Kilimanjaro is the highest free-standing mountain in the world and the highest point on the African continent.

Trevor, who inspired the plan, has spoken of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro for decades and as he’s celebrating his 60th birthday in June, we thought it would be the perfect timing. Our climbing party of 8 friends and family are dedicating our summit attempt to the Isle of Man Hospice. 

Modern society avoids discussion about the inevitable end of our time on earth, but the dignity that the dedicated Hospice volunteers and staff are able to share gives tremendous comfort to the family left behind. They are truly angels on earth.

Many of the RARE FLYERS have been touched by Hospice in our lives. 

We would like our climb to help raise awareness of the awesome job that Hospice does and we hope to raise at least £10,000 for this amazing charity that offers such a humane end-of-life experience.

RARE FLYERS recently took part in the Isle of Man Half-Marathon. The run has been voted in ‘Runners’ World’ as one of the top ten races in the United Kingdom. The route follows the Manx Northern coast, starting and finishing in Ramsey. Brent van der Merwe, Vaughan Batchelor and Dan Scott took part on the 11 August 2024 which was a beautifully clear, dry day! The team ran to raise funds for a charity close to their hearts and managed to send the Khayalitsha District Hospital over £1000 that will be used to improve the hospital’s facilities. The RARE FLYERS were interviewed on Manx Radio.

The Parish Walk in the Isle of Man is an annual event that takes place in June. It is an around-the-island walk covering 85 miles which must be completed within 24 hours. Participants are required to walk through each of 17 parishes and touch the church gate. This year, 1227 participants started the walk and incredibly, 128 managed to complete it! Our Client Relationships guru, Dan Scott, walked as far as Peel which is 33 miles and he achieved this remarkable feat in 8 hours and 16 minutes! He had the fabulous company of Andrew Joughin and Tirrie Noongo so that the time flew by! Aside from a little sunburn, Dan arrived in Peel unscathed!