Event mangers, Ben and Julie Carter, competed in a charity challenge of abseiling the iconic Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth in aid of Milton-Keynes based charity Brain Tumour Research.

Ben, 35, and his wife Julie, 34, from Newport Pagnell, took on the challenge after Julie was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2006, when she was just 23-years-old. Due to its location, the tumour was unable to be removed by surgery and she had to undergo several operations to control it. Now 11 years on, Julie is still living with the tumour but is determined to not let it affect her life. 

Ben, Event Producer and Owner of White Event Production in Milton Keynes said: “Raising over £1,000 for a charity that funds research into this disease and could ultimately benefit future generations affected by brain tumours, is a great feeling.”

Julie, said: “It’s a sad fact that brain tumours can affect anyone at any time, but no-one knows what causes them. I do count myself as lucky that I’m able to live my life and take part in fun events like the abseil. Although I cannot control the tumour, I do have control over how I live my life and will continue to do that with a positive attitude and a smile on my face.”

Standing at an impressive 94m tall, the Spinnaker Tower is the highest building in Portsmouth, and offered the abseilers breath-taking views of the Solent and beyond. With his parents and grandparents originating from the Portsmouth area, Ben thought it was a fitting challenge for him and Julie to take on.

Many of those who joined Ben and Julie on the abseil have also been affected by brain tumours, with many participating in memory of a family member or friend taken by the disease. 

Tim Green, Community Fundraising Manager at Brain Tumour Research said: “Money raised from the abseil will help to fund world-leading research into the causes of brain tumours and improving treatments.

“Brain tumours are indiscriminate; they can affect anyone, at any age, at any time. 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.

“We would like to thank Ben and Julie for their support. For too long, brain tumours have been a neglected cancer and stories like Julie’s remind us all that we cannot allow this desperate situation to continue.”

To make a donation to Brain Tumour Research via Ben’s JustGiving page, go to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/whiteeventproduction

 

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
• Brain tumours are indiscriminate; they can affect anyone, at any age
• 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.