Final round of Alistair's big fundraising drive

Alistair Collin has made one final appeal ahead of the last round as he is close to raising his target of £25,000 for the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

He started the challenge to play the Golf Monthly Top 100 golf courses in the UK and Ireland in January 2020 and aimed to finish on his 60th birthday in 2021, but Covid-19 lockdowns and travel restrictions to Ireland delayed his progress.

However, he is now almost at the end and he is set to play his 100th and final course on August 18 at the Ailsa Course, Turnberry, in Ayrshire.

The member of the Close House golf club near Heddon-on-the-Wall wanted to give something back as he felt fortunate to have survived – he underwent surgery for an enlarged aorta, the large blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body, in 2013, but a year later he had a heart attack.

Alistair said: “Once I recovered, I made a donation to the BHF and did a bit of volunteering at supermarket collections, but after building my strength back up I wanted to see if I could raise a more significant amount by challenging myself and as a keen golfer, this seemed ideal.

“The challenge covers 50 courses in England, 25 in Scotland, 21 in Ireland and four in Wales and even without the issues caused by Covid, to make this happen you need the help of a lot of people.

“I’ve had support from family, friends, Close House and many of the top 100 golf clubs, together with the individuals who I’ve met on my journey who have helped donate – it’s been amazing. My wife has also been incredibly supportive.

“We bought a motorhome, which I call the ‘Command Centre’, early in the process to help keep me safe during Covid and also to help reduce costs, and it has turned out to be a masterstroke.”

He has raised more than £24,000 so far and people can donate online at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/alistaircollintop100challenge