Our Retired Fundraising Groups

Our retired Fundraising Groups

Our Fundraising Groups are set up by families who have lost loved ones to brain tumours or have a loved one with a brain tumour diagnosis. Sometimes there comes a time when a family may wish to continue their work of raising awareness and funds, but in a less formal way.

We are grateful to all our Fundraising Groups, past and present, for the invaluable work they do within their communities to promote the brain tumour cause and make a difference in our mission to find a cure for all types of brain tumours.

The following are Fundraising Groups who have retired from active duty, but remain very much a part of our brain tumour community:

Aladdin's Lamp Fund

Sandy Foulkes set up Aladdin’s Lamp Fund in memory of beloved husband and father, Bill. Bill passed away in April 2010, thirteen months after his diagnosis with a glioblastoma multiforme. He was passionate about golf and boats and the owner of a yacht chandler’s called Aladdin’s Cave, hence the inspiration for the name of the Fundraising Group. Sandy was introduced to Prof Geoff Pilkington, who heads up research at the Brain Tumour Research centre of excellence in Portsmouth, through a mutual scientist friend and now helps Geoff out with administrative duties, as well as undertaking fundraising for Brain Tumour Research.

Read Bill's story.

In for a Penny

In for a Penny was set up after Glenn Karpel lost his beloved wife Penny on 15th September 2017. Penny had originally been diagnosed with a low grade brain tumour in 2009 after suffering a blackout. By October of 2016, Penny was experiencing significant mobility problems. Glenn, along with Penny’s daughters, Claire and Stefanie, looked everywhere to find a way to extend Penny’s life, but in the end they had to accept that there was no more treatment available. Devastatingly Penny slipped into a coma. An agonising 12 days later, still at home and with her family by her side, Penny took her last breath.

Shocked at the lack of options and angry that there seemed to be more investment and research into novel anti-cancer therapies happening in Europe, the United States and in Israel than in the UK, Glenn is passionate that more needs to be done to prevent brain tumour patients deteriorating to the stage when only palliative care and support can be offered and families can only wait for the inevitable to happen. He argues that the cost to society is also significantly more than an upfront investment in stopping the disease at the outset.

Read Penny’s story.

Officially Lisa Connell

This Fundraising Group was set up to raise awareness of brain tumours, to improve outcomes for brain tumour patients and, ultimately to help find a cure.

Lisa Connell, who set up the Group, was diagnosed with a meningioma aged 26, after falling pregnant; sadly, she lost the baby. Having undergone Gamma Knife Surgery and some years later, surgery and radiotherapy when the tumour was found to be growing, Lisa now lives with regular painful facial spasms. Lisa was told she couldn’t have children as meningiomas can grow dramatically in pregnant women due to hormonal change, but amazingly she now has a miracle child.

Read Lisa’s story by searching 'Lisa Connell' on our website.

For information about Officially Lisa Connell

Make a donation to Officially Lisa Connell

The Free Bird Trust

Dean was a healthy man who loved his family and was very loyal to his friends – he had the same best friend since the age of seven. When Dean was 27 he was diagnosed with a glioblastoma multiforme grade 4 which he fought with so much courage and his indomitable sense of humour; nevertheless he was cruelly taken from us just seven months later.

Dean will always remain in our thoughts and in our lives and we talk about him daily. We, as a family, promise to continue the fight against brain tumours in his honour. We want to know why so many people die very quickly from this aggressive form of brain cancer? We hope that the funds raised by the Free Bird Trust in Dean’s memory will make a difference and help find answers to many questions – so little is known about brain tumours.

Read Dean's story.

The Glenn McMahon Foundation

Husband, son, father and step-father, Glenn McMahon was diagnosed with an aggressive glioblastoma multiforme grade 4 brain tumour after experiencing co-ordination problems on the golf course. He married Wendy in February 2014 and, knowing their time together would be cut short, the couple set about making the most of their lives through travel, socialising and their mutual love of fine food. Glenn died in June 2015 at the age of 53.

Wendy established The Glenn McMahon Foundation in 2015 to raise funds and awareness for Brain Tumour Research in memory of her beloved husband.

Read Glenn's story.

Our Retired Fundraising Groups