UPDATE AND HUGE THANKS

Easier to run, walk and waddle for 50 hours than to write this. I’ve been stewing over it for 4 weeks because I have never experienced anything like the overwhelming goodwill of people that I was exposed to between 19th and 21st December 2025.

I’ll try and keep it brief and let it just land on the page. I am not one for polished promotion but have to say a huge thank you.

Firstly, thank you to Debbie. For being inspirational and, through your courage, leading me and a magnificent group of people along a path full of love and support. Love and support for you and all those people who share challenges like the one you now face with such dignity. I expected nothing Debbie but also I just knew you would find the strength to appear to support me. I will go back to that pub one day for a quiet pint.

Getting to finish the run with your husband Andy was very special for us all. His humour shone through even at 3am.

Secondly, to all those people who were there. Who gave without any hesitation their energy, their sleep, their love, their enthusiasm, their laughter and their belief. All at a time of year when we they should have been inside and with only a few weeks’ notice.

Thirdly, to those countless people who engaged and gave generously, spread the message of togetherness and supported us all in standing with Debbie and her family. From the kind-natured people of Sedbergh where I live and home in Derbyshire, to lifelong friends and to those folk I have never spoken to – the generosity of spirit and donations was more than anyone could have anticipated.

Finally, to those people closest to this and closest to me. Thank you. It was so straightforward because of you. I just ran or sat in a chair eating whatever you put in front me, you filled every gap. I am so immensely proud to be connected with you all. When Debbie and her father arrived, I could see they were touched and they a fraction of the people who made it happen.

We’ve raised over £16,000 as I type. This will go toward improving secondary cancer care and improving the experience others will face in the future. Debbie deserves all the credit for this. Debbie has bluntly refused to let her situation get in the way of raising awareness and wanting to make the experiences of others better than her own.

We will close the page at the end of this week, but if this reaches you now for the first time please do support us: Adam Perry is fundraising for Maggie's Centres

Lastly, it was so fitting that the 192 mile journey across the mountains, hills and dales of northern England was full of laughter (a lot at my expense which I enjoyed a lot !) and good humour. The same outlook that Debbie has steadfastly retained. No one was taking any of it too seriously, but they did stand tall and together with a friend.

There are so many memories for me of work colleagues, neighbours, friends, family, friends of friends, friends I had not seen for 11 years until 2.47 am in a dark wood…., friends I didn’t know I had yet, the kids of all the above. All displaying true generosity that I will honestly cherish for ever. I didn’t expect or set out for that, but I am so thankful for it now.

Most importantly though when you look at the pictures, you will see a group of people very much together in spirit.

THE CHALLENGE

Cumbrian Fell Runner Adam Perry to Run 192-Mile Coast-to-Coast on Shortest Day to Raise Funds for Cancer Care.

Managing Director at Stephenson Halliday takes on winter endurance challenge in honour of colleague with terminal cancer diagnosis.

Adam Perry (37) from Sedbergh, Cumbria, will attempt to run the entire 192-mile Wainwright Coast to Coast route finishing on the shortest days of the year, starting Friday 19th December, to raise funds for secondary cancer care in the north of England.

Adam is undertaking the challenge in support of colleague Debbie Holland, who has recently received a terminal cancer diagnosis. Earlier in her illness, Holland raised significant funds for cancer charities herself. Perry is inspired by his colleague’s strength and intends to continue this effort for her.

“The reality is that there is never a convenient time for cancer” Perry said. “I feel moved and inspired by Debbie and her family to do this now, rather than wait for a convenient summer’s day.”

“Debbie has made me very aware that outside of the doors of our wonderful NHS, long-term support is fragmentary, reliant on volunteers and is often unsustainable".

Adam will be raising funds for the Macmillan Cancer Support and Information Centre (Rosewood Centre) in Yorkshire and raising funds towards a permanent Maggie’s Centre in Cumbria. Funds will be split 50 / 50.

The Rosewood Centre is a multidisciplinary service to support the health and wellbeing of patients living with cancer or a palliative diagnosis.

Similarly, Maggie’s Centres are warm and welcoming places built alongside NHS hospitals that provide the support that people with cancer and their family and friends need.

Unfortunately, in Cumbria, there is currently no Maggie's Centre, with one of the nearest located in Newcastle. This gap means that many individuals facing cancer do not have access to the essential support they need.