John Ellison - founder of the charity Climbers Against Cancer (CAC) - has passed away peacefully in his sleep on 27th December after a 4-year battle with terminal cancer. The charity, which was set up to raise funds for cancer research centres around the world, raised an incredible £350,000 in just three years through the sale of t-shirts, hoodies and other merchandise. The sad news was announced on the CAC Facebook page by John's daughter Charlotte.
© Facebook
Despite his serious illness, John was not one to let his predicament overshadow his happiness, setting up CAC in January 2013 "to increase awareness and raise funds for research in the continued fight against a disease that affects so many."
In recognition of his contribution to the climbing community, John was granted an honorary International Federation of Sport Climbing membership, a UIAA award and most recently received the Arco Rock Legends Ambassador Award.
© Giulio Malfer/Planetmountain.com
UKClimbing.com would like to express their sincere condolences to John's family at this time and continue to support Climbers Against Cancer.
In tribute to John, we would like to share the video below produced by Polished Project in 2013 which gives an insight into his astonishing bravery and positivity in the face of illness:
For more information on CAC and John, please visit the CAC website.
Some tributes to John can be read on the CAC Facebook page.
Read a UKC interview with John from January 2013.
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