Come rain or shine, a keen cook is to hold a barbecue every day for a year to raise enough money to adopt a rhino in his homeland of South Africa.

Mat Hartley, 31, of South Park Road in Wimbledon, loves a traditional outdoor barbecue so much that he will do one every day – and refuses to let the unpredictable British weather deter him from his mission.

He said: “I love to braai [the South African way of cooking a barbecue] and, after many debates of whether or not it was possible to braai every day for a year in the UK, I have decided to take on the challenge.

“As a South African, we take our braai very seriously. I pretty much braai every day anyway, through the snow, whatever, and my mates said I couldn’t do it, but I’ll make it through to the end, no problem.

“I was taught how to braai just after learning to walk. The braai is in our blood and it pains me to watch someone struggle to light a fire and, even worse, ruin a good piece of meat.”

The challenge has been going strong for two weeks now, but Mr Hartley has proved he is nowhere near running out of ideas – having cooked everything, from pizza to chicken curry pie on the braai.

He said: “I love a bit of steak. I could eat steak every night, but my other half has told me I have to vary my recipes. But she’s loving life – she doesn’t have to cook and there’s less washing up.”

For those eager to learn how to braai like a South African, Mr Hartley is documenting his journey online and plans to put up video tutorials as the year goes by.

In the process of getting Britons to embrace the braai, Mr Hartley is also looking to raise awareness for his chosen charity.

He is supporting Save the Rhinos International, that works to conserve populations of endangered rhinoceros species.

Mr Hartley is aiming to raise enough money to sponsor a rhino to live in Kwazulu Natal in South Africa, which costs £200 a month.

To join the braai club, or to donate, visit braai365.com.