Former England captain remembered in fundraiser for Brain Tumour Research

2 min read

The son of former England captain Emlyn Hughes, who was diagnosed with a brain tumour 15 years ago, has raised more than £2,000 to help find a cure for the disease.

Emlyn Hughes Junior, the son of Emlyn Hughes OBE, the former captain of England and Liverpool FC, teamed up with a group of friends to scale the Yorkshire Three Peaks in support of the Brain Tumour Research charity.

The event, on Saturday 27th July, marked 15 years since the celebrated player’s diagnosis with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), an aggressive type of brain tumour. One of Britain’s most famous and inspirational sportsmen, who went on to forge a successful TV career and was known to many through his role on BBC’s A Question of Sport, Emlyn endured two operations and radiotherapy. He passed away at his home in Sheffield in November 2004 at the age of 57.

Dubbed the Crazy Horse because of the way he charged around the football field, Emlyn won two European Cups, an FA Cup, five championships, and was Footballer of the Year. He made his final appearance for England in 1980, the last of 62 appearances for his country with 23 as captain.

Emlyn Junior, who was 28 when his dad died, said: “It seems extraordinary to think that it’s 15 years since we lost Dad. He never complained and tried his best to be his normal positive self. It is unbearable to think that brain tumours affect so many people and that treatment options remain so limited.

“I wanted to do something to remember Dad and also to raise awareness of this devastating disease.”


Together with a group of friends, Emlyn Junior, who lives in Derbyshire and works in the motor trade in Glossop, climbed Yorkshire’s highest three peaks for his “Dynamo Kebab” challenge, which was named to highlight the fact that he’s not as fit as he might be! The team covered 25.2 miles with 58,690 steps and climbed the equivalent of 378 floors.

“It was a really, really tough challenge and not something I will ever do again!” he said. “It was a great achievement though and I hope Dad would be proud.”

Andrea Pankiw, Community Fundraising Manager for Brain Tumour Research, said: “We are very grateful to Emlyn and his fellow walkers for their support. Their event has raised £2,250 so far. Brain tumours are indiscriminate; they can affect anyone at any age. What’s more, they kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, yet just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease.”

To make a donation to the Dynamo Kebab challenge in memory of Emlyn please go to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/e-hughes3


For further information, please contact:
Susan Castle-Smith at Brain Tumour Research on 01908 867206 or 07887 241639 or Susan@braintumourresearch.org


Notes to Editors

Brain Tumour Research is the only national charity in the UK dedicated to raising funds for continuous and sustainable scientific research into brain tumours, and we are a leading voice calling for greater support and action for research into what scientists are calling the last battleground against cancer.

We are building a network of experts in sustainable research at dedicated Centres of Excellence whilst influencing the Government and larger cancer charities to invest more nationally.

We welcome recent funding announcements for research into brain tumours from the UK Government and Cancer Research UK – £65 million pledged over the next five years. However, this potential funding of £13 million a year comes with a catch – money will only be granted to quality research proposals and, due to the historic lack of investment, there may not be enough of these applications that qualify for grants from this pot.

We want research funding parity with breast cancer and leukaemia. We are calling for a £30-35 million investment every year for research into brain tumours in order to fund the basic research groundwork needed to accelerate the translation from laboratory discoveries into clinical trials and fast-track new therapies for this devastating disease.

The Brain Tumour Research charity is a powerful campaigning organisation and represents the voice of the brain tumour community across the UK. We helped establish and provide the ongoing Secretariat for the All Party Parliamentary Group for Brain Tumours (APPGBT). We are supporting the crucial APPGBT 2018 Inquiry into the economic and social impacts of brain tumours and will publish their report in the autumn. We are also a key influencer in the development strategy for the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission. 

Key statistics on brain tumours: 

  • Brain tumours are indiscriminate; they can affect anyone at any age 
  • Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other
  • cancer
  • Just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours
  • In the UK, 16,000 people each year are diagnosed with a brain tumour
  • Brain tumours kill more children than leukaemia
  • Brain tumours kill more men under 45 than prostate cancer
  • Brain tumours kill more women under 35 than breast cancer
  • Less than 20% of those diagnosed with a brain tumour survive beyond five years compared with an average of 50% across all cancers

Please quote Brain Tumour Research as the source when using this information. Additional facts and statistics are available from our website. We can also provide case studies and research expertise for the media.

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