Bangor student Keith Brownrigg has undertaken a marathon trek to raise money for a local lifeboat charity.

He has already raised over £700 for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).

The five-week expedition saw him walk along the entire length of the Ulster Way, lasting over 595 miles along the second longest marked trail in Britain.

The 23-year-old architecture student set out on his trip on June 17 with a rucksack containing a stove, tent and sleeping bag.

“I'm just so happy that I have done something positive this summer, and helping raise money for the lifeboats who are helping to save people's lives just gives it another edge,” said Mr Brownrigg.

Keith started at the Giant's Causeway and has worked anti-clockwise across the province taking in every county.

“I've seen parts of Northern Ireland I would not normally have. The Ulster Way takes you through the Mournes, the Sperrins, the Fermanagh Lakes and all the top places,” he said.

Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboats have saved more than 137,000 lives.

In 2008 the RNLI had just under 8,300 lifeboat launches with lifeguards attending over 9,500 incidents.

Keith chose the RNLI as his charity as a lot of his friends are involved in boating.

“It is a great charity made up of people who are putting themselves on the line to save other people’s lives and they don’t get anything out of it,” he said.

RNLI area fundraising manager Emma Gibson congratulated Keith on his achievement.

“Our lifeboat crews face many challenges and we are delighted that Keith is undertaking this massive personal challenge of walking the Ulster Way in aid of the RNLI,” she said.

“We are grateful to him for raising much-needed funds for the charity and raising awareness about the work of our volunteer lifeboat crews.”

Simon hopes to increase the total raised when he completes the trek this week.

“I’m hoping to get it past £1,000. I haven’t had the chance to hassle my friends yet,” he said.