How former mountaineer Al Sylvester became the appeal’s No1 fundraiser, making £24,000 for Prospect in memory of his best friend IN AUGUST, Al Sylvester embarked on a solo 900-mile trek to Scotland for the hospice which cared for his best friend in his final moments.

Not only did he reach John O’Groats 39 days after leaving Land’s End but he raised a mammoth £24,000 in the process, making him the 160 Appeal’s most triumphant fundraiser.

The 49-year-old former RAF mountaineer tackled the daunting Walk to Freedom without any support in homage to Dean Singleton, who passed away at Prospect Hospice in June 2011 at the age of 43, after battling skin and liver cancer.

Many believed covering the length of the country alone with just a 42lb backpack for company was sheer madness – and Al was inclined to agree.

But no feat seemed too daunting to keep alive the memory of his “brother”, colleague, one-time flatmate and expert matchmaker, who introduced him to his wife-to-be Clare.

On August 16 he set off from Land’s End.

Al and Dean met in 1992 while based at RAF Stafford where they risked their lives each day to rescue stranded alpinists and hikers.

“He was like a brother and I miss him,” said Al, of Faringdon. “When we met I just saw this spark of an individual. He had a difficult life. He was fostered and then he was adopted. But he was a strong quiet individual who had a passion for life. That’s one of the hardest things – that he was taken away so soon.

“Dean and I covered lots of big rescues. We put our lives on the line together. You can see some pretty horrible things on callouts and he was always someone I could talk to and share things with.

“He was the one keeping the team going, encouraging everyone. If you needed someone at your side it was Dean.

“When the troops were low, he would be the one saying ‘Right, let’s go to the pub now.’”

After leaving the Mountain Rescue, Dean joined Wiltshire Constabulary and moved to Swindon while Al remained with the RAF in Shrivenham.

Dean was diagnosed with skin cancer in 2000. It later spread to his liver .

He was admitted to Prospect Hospice three times in the last month of his life. He eventually passed away on June 20, 2011 – sixth months after marrying his second wife Linzi.

Following his death, Al pledged to support Prospect and raise awareness of the care delivered by hospices across the country.

Al has led more than 15 expeditions around the world over the years, including the RAF’s first ever 677-mile unsupported attempt to reach the Geographic South Pole, an experience which saw him lose his thumbs to frostbite in the minus 35-degree conditions.

But the Walk to Freedom proved the most demanding and draining.

“Dean would be like ‘What are you doing that for, you dufus?’ “It was 39 days of relentless walking.

“I’ve been on expeditions before but never like this. The pain in my feet was relentless. But pain is just weakness leaving the body.

“There were times when my legs would just not want to go anywhere. And I would argue with myself; a lot of it comes down to your attitude. You don’t want to keep going on bad days but you know you have to.”

As disheartening as the difficult days were, surprise visits from friends, family and even Prospect Hospice’s chief executive Angela Jordan along the route spurred him on on the good days.

“The highlight was having over 120 people visit me along the route, during my breaks,” he added.

“My friends and family have been amazing. I was the most supported unsupported walker. And Dean’s widow Linzi coordinated everything behind the scenes and on Twitter and Facebook.

“It has all helped to keep his memory alive.”