OUR PATRONS... Well known people, who are championing our cause and helping us to raise awareness

Raising awareness is crucial in our fight against brain tumours. The general public are not aware of the issues and it is only when faced with the diagnosis of this dreadful disease that many people realise that for the most aggressive of brain tumours there is no cure! For them and their families it is too late.

If we can generate the same awareness as some of the more pervasive cancers such as breast, leukaemia and prostate cancer, then we too can raise the £millions that is needed for brain tumour research. We too can change the outcome for future patients.

We are delighted to have the support of our patrons, who are championing our cause and helping us to raise awareness.

Brain Tumour Research welcomes Bill Tarmey as its new patron to help raise awareness of the prevalence of the deadly disease that kills more people under the age of 40 than any other cancer. The actor, who played Jack Duckworth in Coronation Street, will be supporting the charity after his own son, Carl Piddington, was diagnosed with an incurable brain tumour two years ago.

Ian Reddington

Ian is known to millions of TV viewers and is the only actor to create major roles in two most popular soaps Tricky Dicky, Albert Square’s lothario Market Manager in Eastenders and Vernon the hapless drummer in Coronation Street. Very different roles but both of which captured the attention of the public. He has also made appearances in cult classics Dr. Who, Shameless and the original Highlander film. But it was in Theatre where Ian first plied his trade and he has appeared in countless cities across the country in such Award Winning plays as The Woman In Black, Dead Funny, High School Musical 2 and Gasping. In London’s West End he appeared in the Olivier Award Winning musical Our House as well as the original production of Piaf. He has also worked with The Royal Shakespeare Company and has had countless TV appearances including Inspector Morse, Doctors, The Bill, Holby City and Casualty.

‘I don’t know anyone who has been touched by a brain tumour, but I can’t believe that in this day and age there should be a cancer for which so little is known because compared to other cancers there has been very little research, due to a lack of funding. Having read the stories of so many children, young adults and mums and dads that have been affected as well as the families that have lost them, I couldn’t help but get involved. I implore business leaders and the general public to get involved too and raise much needed funds for brain tumour research.’

John Bercow

John was elected as the 157th Speaker of the House of Commons on 22nd June 2009. He has been the Member of Parliament for Buckingham since May 1997.

In June 1999, he was appointed Front Bench Spokesman for Education & Employment. In July 2000, he was appointed Front Bench Spokesman for Home Affairs. In September 2001, he was appointed Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury. From July 2002 to November 2002 he was Shadow Minister for Work & Pensions. From November 2003 to September 2004, he was Shadow Secretary of State for International Development.

John has served as member of the International Development Select Committee, he co-chaired the All Party Parliamentary Group on Burma, and was vice-Chair of the All Party Groups on the Prevention of Genocide, Africa and Sudan, and Secretary of the All Party Group on Human Rights. In July 2005, John established the All Party Group on Brain Tumours to raise awareness of issues surrounding brain tumour care.

In September 2007, John was appointed by Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, to lead a review of services for children and young people with speech, language and communication needs. The final report of the Review was published in July 2008.

John was appointed to the Speaker's Conference on Parliamentary Representation in November 2008.

In November 1998, John was given the award of Backbencher to Watch in The Spectator Parliamentarian of the Year Awards. In February 2005, in a ballot of his parliamentary colleagues, he won the Channel Four / Hansard Society Political Award for Opposition MP of the Year for 2005. In December 2005, John was voted the Backbencher of the Year in The House Magazine awards. John was named Health / International Champion of the Year at the Charity Champion Awards 2007.

John was alerted to the plight of brain tumours in January 2004, by a constituent and was particularly touched by the stories of children. `There can surely be few more tragic or heartbreaking experiences than for a parent to discover that his or her child has a brain tumour'.

In April 2004 he led the first ever debate on brain tumours in the House of Commons and was shocked at how little attention had been paid to brain tumours before that. ‘I put it to the House that the issue of children with brain tumours is under- debated under-reported and under-funded. In this Parliament, the issue has attracted minimal— dare I say it, derisory—attention. There has been, not one adjournment debate until now, not one oral parliamentary question, and only two written parliamentary questions!’

Furthermore within the debate he went on to say ‘While the media have justifiably devoted coverage to other cancers, they have seemingly overlooked the plight of children diagnosed with brain tumours, giving scant coverage to that plight. The apparent low incidence of this type of cancer, by comparison with other forms, has caused the brain tumour community to be poorly supported and funded’

John has been a champion of the cause (of both adult and childhood brain tumours) within parliament ever since, establishing the brain tumour All Party Parliamentary Group in July 2005.