Bedfordshire baker and father of three, Adam Holbrook, completed a gruelling 123-mile cycle ride, in memory of his big brother Steve, who passed away from a brain tumour last year.

Adam, aged 36, recently pedalled for over 10 hours from his home in Maulden, Bedfordshire, to the pier in Southwold, Suffolk, raising a combined total of over £1,690 for the pioneering charity Brain Tumour Research.

The charity is striving to fund a network of seven dedicated research centres whilst challenging the government and larger cancer charities to invest more in brain tumour research. Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer but just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease.

Adam said: “We miss Steve every day and every guy on the ride was remembering different stories about him. It was a tough ride, but being out there as a group made the experience fun. I hope our efforts will help raise awareness of this awful disease and keep Steve’s memory alive.”

Adam, who trained as a chef, has been baking at The Cottage Bakery in Ampthill for 14 years. A regular volunteer at the charity’s head office in Milton Keynes, Adam is following in the footsteps his brother Steve who began fundraising for Brain Tumour Research after he was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour in November 2014.

Keen runner Steve, who served for 15 years with Bedfordshire Police, was referred to Hinchingbrooke Hospital after suffering headaches and vision loss, while he trained for his latest marathon.

He then had surgery to remove a brain tumour in April 2015, but was told the tumour had returned later that year. Steve sadly lost his fight last year at the age of 37, leaving behind his wife Carrie and children Emma, seven, and Mason, four.

Paula Rastrick, Community Fundraising Manager for Brain Tumour Research in Bedfordshire, said: “For too long, brain tumours have been a neglected cancer. We all remember Steve, and his story reminds us all that we cannot allow this desperate situation to continue. We are extremely grateful to Adam and all the other riders for raising such vital funds to help us find a cure for this horrible disease.”

To make a donation to Brain Tumour Research via Adam’s JustGiving page, go to http://www.justgiving.com/Adam-Holbrook2

Brain Tumour Research is campaigning to see the national spend on brain tumour research increased to £30 - £35 million a year, in line with breast and leukaemia, in order to advance treatments, and ultimately find a cure.

 

For further information, please contact:
Lexie Dabney at Brain Tumour Research on 01908 867222 or 07591 206545 or lexie.dabney@braintumourresearch.org

 

Notes to Editors
Brain Tumour Research is the only national charity in the UK focused on funding sustainable research to find a cure for brain tumours. We are building a game-changing network of world-class Research Centres of Excellence in the UK. Embracing passionate member charities nationwide, £5.5 million was raised towards research and support during 2016.

We are campaigning to see the national spend on research into brain tumours increased to £30 - £35 million a year, in line with breast cancer and leukaemia. The charity is celebrating a year of high-profile campaigning on this issue following the unprecedented success of its petition in 2016. Following that, Brain Tumour Research is now taking a leading role in the Government’s Task and Finish Working Group convened to tackle the historic underfunding for research.

Key statistics on brain tumours:

• Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer
• They kill more children than leukaemia
• They kill more men under 45 than prostate cancer
• They kill more women under 35 than breast cancer
• Just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease
• In the UK 16,000 people each year are diagnosed with a brain tumour
• Less than 20% of those diagnosed with a brain tumour survive beyond five years compared with an average of 50% across all cancers
• Incidences of, and deaths from, brain tumours are increasing.

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