Press release posted 15 July 2022

A charity fundraiser is set to climb 3 mountains in a day to raise money for The Christie.

Bekah Courtney, a 33-year-old GP from Wigan, is walking in memory of her mum and dad who both sadly died from cancer within less than a year of each other. Both her parents were treated at the specialist cancer centre.

Bekah will take on the gruelling Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge on Saturday 24 September 2022. She’ll be walking for her dad, Paul Mason, who died at 57 in 2020 after a short, 4-month battle with oesophageal cancer and her mum, Caroline Mason, who died from breast cancer less than a year earlier, aged 56.

Caroline, a primary school teacher, and Paul, an electrician, were childhood sweethearts who lived in Wigan all their lives.

“The Christie has been part of my life since 2014 when my mum was first diagnosed with breast cancer,” Bekah said. “The team there looked after both my parents so well that I wanted to do something to give back. The Yorkshire Three Peaks was ideal as Dad was really into running in the mountains, so training for this challenge has helped me feel more connected to him. The hospital and the people who work there put the patients at the heart of everything they do. Mum was able to have part of her treatment nearby at The Christie’s cancer unit at Wigan, which I know meant a lot to her.
“Not only are the team there supporting people like Mum and Dad today, but they’re also coming up with the cancer treatments of tomorrow,” continued Bekah. “The research that’s happening there will change the lives of patients across the UK and beyond. Losing my parents has been really hard but knowing that I’m giving back to The Christie has helped.”


Photo: Bekah Courtney with her husband (Luke) and her parents at her wedding in 2017

Josh Hughff, sporting events officer at The Christie charity, said: “We’re really touched that Bekah has chosen to raise money for us. This is actually the first year that we’re doing the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge as a charity, so it’s great that she can do something that’s so personal to her and her family.”

To find out more about the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge and other events The Christie charity has lined up this year, please visit our fundraising page.

The Christie charity supports the work of The Christie NHS Foundation Trust providing enhanced services over and above what the NHS funds. This includes money for care and treatment, research, education and extra patient services. Gifts from the public make a huge difference to the care and treatment that The Christie is able to provide to patients and their families.