A best friend’s brain tumour diagnosis has inspired a gruelling 100-mile cycle challenge in aid of charity Brain Tumour Research.

Becky Lever, aged 30, from Wareham in Dorset, is raising funds for pioneering research into brain tumours following her friend Helen’s diagnosis in December 2015, when she was just 28 years old and had recently got married.

Aiming to raise at least £500 for the charity, Becky is among 24 cyclists supporting the charity by taking part in Prudential RideLondon, described as “the world’s greatest festival of cycling.” Some 25,000 are expected for the RideLondon-Surrey 100 mile sportive which will set off from the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in east London on Sunday 30^th July before heading through the capital and out into the Surrey countryside and returning to the finish on The Mall.  

Becky, who met Helen when they were at University in Reading together, said: “I was a bridesmaid for Helen at her wedding earlier that year and when the news came six months later that she had a brain tumour, I remember being really upset for her, as this should have been the happiest time of her life. It’s a sad fact that brain tumours can affect anyone at any time but no-one knows what causes them. I hope my efforts will help raise awareness of this awful and indiscriminate disease and draw attention to the dreadful under-funding of research which has gone on for far too long.” 

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. 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.

Tim Green, Community Fundraising Manager for Brain Tumour Research in Dorset, said: “For too long, brain tumours have been a neglected cancer. Stories like Helen’s remind us all that we cannot allow this desperate situation to continue. We are extremely grateful to all our riders for their support and wish them well.”

To make a donation to Brain Tumour Research via Becky’s JustGiving page, go to http://www.justgiving.com/Rebecca-Lever3

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.