EVERYONE thinks their parents are one in a million, but Rob Meader is hoping to prove his late father was the best by taking part in a fund-raiser which will really put him through his paces.

Chris Meader was only 53 when he died of pancreatic cancer at Rochester’s Wisdom Hospice in December 2003, just two months after he was diagnosed with the disease.

Youngest son Rob wanted to show his gratitude to the dedicated team who looked after him in his final hours by helping to raise money for the hospice, which needs £1,500 a day to provide its services.

Rob and his friend Dave Gollop will put themselves through their paces with a 50-mile walk across the North Downs.

The charity scramble will see the two friends walk, run and jog while carrying heavy rucksacks during the day and camp out under the stars at night.

The pair will set off from Detling, near Maidstone, on Friday, hike to Charing and return to Detling the following day.

Rob, 31, who works for the Kent Messenger Group, hopes the gruelling walk will raise more than £1,000 for the hospice.

Dave is raising money for the Royal British Legion, which is helping a family member cope with the horrific scenes he witnessed while serving in Bosnia.

Rob said: "Chris was the best friend and dad I could ever have hoped for. He was more than my dad; he was my best friend - a superdad."

Symptoms of Chris's illness did not appear until October 2003 and following tests at the Alexandra Hospital, Walderslade, doctors diagnosed cancer of the pancreas.

As his health deteriorated at the beginning of December, his wife Michele and family took the decision to move him from his home in Walderslade to the Wisdom Hopsice.

Chris died in his sleep at the hospice on December 9.

Hospice spokesman Emma Bainbridge said: "Rob’s really helping the Wisdom Hospice with his trek and we wish him the best of luck."

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