A daughter bereaved by a brain tumour will take on the Great Bristol Half Marathon to help fund research into the disease.

Claire Skelcey, from Henleaze, Bristol, is running to raise money for the Brain Tumour Research charity after the death of her dad, Seamus Phelan. Claire, aged 43, is motivated by the fact that brain tumours 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.

After suffering a fall, Seamus was taken to the Bristol Royal Infirmary where an MRI scan showed he had a glioblastoma – a highly aggressive type of brain tumour. Seamus, a retired builder from Newcastle West, Ireland, died in May 2018, just a month after his diagnosis, aged 70.

Claire said: “I am looking forward to running the half marathon and the support I’ve had from my family and friends has been amazing. Training for the event has given me a great deal of purpose since losing my dad and I know he would be so proud of me for my fundraising.

“Dad was an amazing man, the life and soul of any party, and everyone loved him. He was cheeky, easily liked and always had a twinkle in his eye. I miss him dearly and me and my sister would give anything to have more time with Dad; he was young and had so much more life to live.”

Claire will be among thousands of runners taking part in the annual Great Bristol Half Marathon. This year’s event, on Sunday 23^rd September, will take runners under the spectacular Clifton Suspension Bridge and around the Bristol Harbourside before finishing 13.1 miles later in the city centre.

Brain Tumour Research funds dedicated UK Centres of Excellence where scientists are focused on improving outcomes for patients and, ultimately, finding a cure.

Carol Robertson, Head of Community Fundraising for Brain Tumour Research, said: “We are extremely grateful for Claire’s support and wish her all the best for the event. Seamus’s story reminds us all that less than 20% of those diagnosed with a brain tumour survive beyond five years compared with an average of 50% across all cancers. We cannot allow this situation to continue.”

To sponsor Claire please go to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Claire-Skelcey

For further information, please contact:
Annie Slinn at the Brain Tumour Research charity on 01908 867239 or 07591 206545 or annie.slinn@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.