Director takes on Mountain Challenge for Cancer and Hospice patients in memory of his wife

(Photo: Sarah Clayton, Community Fundraiser and Gerald Coteman at the Hospice)

Gerald Coteman, aged 74, who earlier this year, fought alongside the Charity to preserve crucial Inpatient beds for end of life and palliative patients, will take on the challenge of descending the Stoneycroft Ravine near Keswick in Cumbria, on 22 April.

Funds raised from the ambitious challenge will be shared between two charities: The Elizabeth Coteman Fund and Arthur Rank Hospice Charity. Mr Coteman is Director of The Elizabeth Coteman Fund; a specialist pancreatic cancer support charity established in 2010 when his wife, Elizabeth, lost her battle with the disease.

The former long serving director at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, campaigned against Cambridge University Hospital’s (CUH) decision to withdraw crucial funding from Arthur Rank Hospice Charity in March 2026, describing it as shortsighted and damaging.

Now approaching his 75th birthday, he will take on the challenge on the sixteenth anniversary of his wife’s death with his good friend Paul Risdon, a personal trainer and close colleague.

The climb includes multiple abseiling, rock scrambling and swimming sections. Decent of the Stoneycroft ravine is expected to take four or five hours, depending on weather conditions, which can be inhospitable on the Cumbrian mountains in spring. Mr Coteman has an ongoing fitness regime but explained:

“These challenges get more difficult with age but the adrenaline and the fundraising targets drive you on. It’s a huge honour to be raising funds for the Arthur Rank Hospice where my wife was treated before her death. Hospices have become providers of a leading-edge and specialist type of health and care service and we must keep them going.”

Mr Coteman continued:

“I know some of the Inpatient beds at Arthur Rank Hospice have had a reprieve until 2027, due to the generosity of the local community who have donated to the Charity’s ‘Protect Our Care Campaign’ but the battle goes on for a clear national strategy for end of life care and more direct funding for hospices to deliver it. Not having a clear view of how to manage end of life care in the UK is a disgrace, and relying on hospice supporters to fill the huge gap in care for these patients is a dereliction of duty on the part of the NHS.”

He added:

“Until we have better national and local leadership on this crucial issue the community will need to raise money to help hospices and their amazing staff to keep services going for patients and their loved ones.”

CEO of Arthur Rank Hospice Charity, Sharon Allen OBE, commented:

“At the Hospice we are continuing to explore new sustainable funding opportunities to support people in Cambridgeshire living with an advanced serious illness or other life-limiting condition and those who need end of life care. As a Trustee at Hospice UK, I continue to campaign for sustainable funding for all Hospices nationally. We are very grateful to Mr Coteman and all our supporters for helping to raise funds and awareness for our ‘Protect our Care’ campaign and I wish him the best of luck for the challenge.”

Speaking as the Director of The Elizabeth Coteman Fund, Mr Coteman concluded:

“As a charity dealing with pancreatic cancer, we mostly have limited time and opportunity to support patients and families, but we are acutely aware of the difference that the national hospice network can make to those precious final days and hours.”

To support Gerald Coteman’s challenge please visit his sponsorship page: https://www.ecfund.org/donate/

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For more information about Arthur Rank Hospice Charity’s Protect our Care please visit arhc.org.uk/POC