Al Sylvester MBE is a renown Royal Air Force Mountain Rescue Service MRS leader. Over his 2 decades of service, he attended over 400 rescue operations including the rescue and recovery of downed aircrew from military fast jet and civilian aircraft. Thankfully the majority of his rescue missions involved searching for and evacuating injured walkers from some of the most hostile environments of the British mountain ranges. In recognition of his outstanding services to the UK's Search and Rescue Organisation and for his exceptional charitable work in aid of Cancer Research UK he was awarded awarded an MBE.
Remaining in the RAF over the next 3 years, Al's next challenge was to organise and lead the RAF's first unsupported attempt on the Geographic South Pole. He displayed the classic case of endeavour, determination and a never-say-die attitude winning over the many doubters. His persistent pleas for backing within the Service did not go unnoticed and he succeeded securing the support of Prince Philip as Patron. Working tirelessly on all the behind scenes admin he also found time to raise £160K through both civilian sponsorship and military contributions to fund the training and entire expedition. While much was achieved under the most extremes of conditions imaginable, his four-man mission ultimately failed to reach their goal. Just 91 miles short and with 1 team member incapacitated, Al rightly decided that the success of this expedition would not take precedence over the lives of his team and ordered its evacuation.
After the Antarctic expedition and still suffering the debilitating effects of frostbite, he was assigned to the RAF presentation team; an elite outfit that briefs RAF units worldwide. Following on in 2010, as a result of his years of excellent service, he was awarded the much-coveted Meritorious Service Medal.
After concluding his final tour as the College Warrant Officer at the Defence Academy, UK, he walked 881 miles unsupported from Land's End to John O' Groats in memory of his best friend and colleague. In the process he raised over £26K for the Hospice that had been responsible for his friend's palliative care. More recently he has worked as a special educational needs co-ordinator for primary school children. In 2017 he challenged himself to run 2017 miles to raise money for the a children's hospice in Oxford – he succeeded!
He is also author of the novels Peaks to the Pole, Walk to Freedom and Everest Dreams, providing heartfelt personal accounts of his adventures to the extreme environments on our planet.
Al's presentations contain breathtaking photos, bringing Antarctica and the Himalayas seemingly within touching distance, giving you instant access to another world. Let him take you along on his inspirational journey; talk about the importance of motivation as a leader explain how group dynamics change under pressure and why effective planning preparation and possession of the are vital keys to success.
