Cathy Craig, the 17-times marathoner known as “the Running Mum” of Stevenage’s Fairlands Valley Spartans (FVS), did not die in vain when she succumbed to pancreatic cancer in 2023. The same can be said for ex-Essex Police Officer Bev Alexander, who was also lost to the disease that year.
Bev’s dying wish was that a concerted effort be made to ramp up pancreatic research in the UK.
Her and Cathy’s premature passing led Spartans team-leader Hazel Smith, Cathy’s daughter, and club member Nigel Strongitharm, a close friend of Bev and her husband Gary, to propose Pancreatic Cancer UK as the running club’s annual charity for 2024. FVS embraced the idea and set a goal of £20,000.
The outcome was substantially different. Last Thursday, Hazel, Nigel, and fellow Spartan Andy Prior handed Caitlin Ashdown, a Senior Community Fundraising Manager at Pancreatic Cancer UK, a cheque made out for £36,358. They were joined by Hazel’s father, Ian Craig, who worked tirelessly throughout the year to support the cause.
“It’s a fantastic amount to have raised,” Caitlin said. “We were honoured to have been chosen by the Fairlands Valley Spartans and everyone at Pancreatic Cancer UK is immensely grateful for the incredible support.”
Hazel said, “A train of people in my family have died from pancreatic cancer. My mum, Cathy, lost her father to pancreatic cancer when he was 54; he’d lost his mum when she was 42. Mum died when she was 70, not long after she completed her last marathon. It’s a horrible disease but she found it nearly impossible to get appointments, answers, or medications from local hospitals and doctors.
“It was a real battle getting Creon (a pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy) for Mum to help her digest her food. That’s when Pancreatic Cancer UK stepped in. Their specialist nurses told us who would supply Creon, that we had to get Mum a scan at a hospital, and that we had to be forceful in insisting on it. The incredible charity were amazing, not just in the practical medical support they gave us, but in providing mental and emotional support too. The work they do meant so much to Mum, Dad, and me, so Dad and I wanted to do everything we could to give back to it.”
FVS’ outstanding fundraising effort was boosted by the fact that its pivotal sponsorship event, the 40-year-old October half-marathon, coincided with the once-a-decade Stevenage Marathon.
Andy Prior directed these events, no mean feat itself. “We had to redesign the marathon route to encompass a 13.1 mile (21.1 km) route for the half-marathon, which had to be officially measured by UK Athletics and approved by Stevenage Borough Council. The police had to sign off for traffic control, too, and UK Athletics had to issue the race license. And, most importantly, we had to have the right medical team in place in case anything should happen.”
The nearly 900 runners who participated in the two races last October 20 had to brave the brutal winds of Storm Ashley, which caused that Sunday’s Great South Run in Portsmouth to be canceled. “The weather was horrendous. Three gazebos set up to support our event were blown down,” Andy said. The Spartans and the other runners were undeterred.
“Another thing happened on the day of the race,” Nigel recalled. “A new member of the Spartans had learned on the Friday before that his mum had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He was participating in the race anyway, so it was nice that Caitlin was there with the Pancreatic Cancer UK gazebo and he was able to express his appreciation of the support the charity had given his mum and their family, and to get some reassurance from Caitlin, too.”
The Stevenage half-marathon and marathon raised £16,000 for Pancreatic Cancer UK, which is about three times more than FVS’ annual charity events usually earn, Andy noted. The other £20,000 came from the runners themselves, club quizzes, coffee mornings, raffles held over the course of the year, and match funding from the likes of Axis at Lloyds of London and CVC in Hong Kong via one of Bev’s sons.
Brewery Tearooms & Gift Shop in Walkern, run by Nigel and his wife, Sarah, also got behind the campaign – running raffles, organizing a small team of runners and marshals/helpers for the marathon event, as well as contributing donations from customers over the year. Ultimately, Brewery Tearooms contributed over £6,000 to the final total.
Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest forms of all common cancers: over half of people die within three months of diagnosis. In the UK, around 10,700 people are diagnosed with the disease each year and it accounted for an average of 9,558 deaths between 2017 and 2019. Less than seven per cent of people survive beyond five years from diagnosis.
“It’s stark how minimal investment into pancreatic cancer research has been when compared with funding for cancers such as breast or prostate, for example,” Caitlin said. “Major progress has been made in treating other cancers, whereas pancreatic cancer has been left behind.
“As well as providing support and campaigning for change, Pancreatic Cancer UK invests in vital early detection and treatment research to help us see the breakthroughs we urgently need,” Caitlin continued. “One project we are funding hopes to develop the world’s first breath test for pancreatic cancer. This is crucial as 80% of people are not diagnosed until after the disease has spread and surgery is no longer possible.”
“The money raised by FVS will help us offer support to patients and their families, invest in vital research, and be a voice for everyone affected by the deadliest common cancer. ” Caitlyn reiterated. “When people get that diagnosis, it’s incredibly hard for them to have hope, but Pancreatic Cancer UK is working to make sure that they do have hope – and that there is hope for the future.”
“We also run a Support Line, staffed by specialist nurses, that anyone affected by pancreatic cancer can call to get personalised expert advice and information. If you or a loved one have questions or concerns following a diagnosis, please do get in touch.”
For further information about donating to Pancreatic Cancer UK or to help with fundraising, contact via www.pancreaticcancer.org.uk. To speak to a pancreatic nurse, call 0808 801 0707.To find out about Fairlands Valley Spartans’ activities, contact via www.fvspartans.org.uk To become a member, contact membership@fvspartans.org.uk.
