A Radstock man whose diagnosis with an aggressive brain tumour in 2011 was the inspiration for the late Somerset teenager Emma Walsh’s fundraising, has completed a gruelling 100-mile cycle challenge for charity.

Andrew Stammers, 43, has raised nearly £800 this year for pioneering charity Brain Tumour Research, which will use the funds for research into finding a cure for this devastating disease.

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.

Andrew was a Baptist Minister at Radstock Baptist Church when he was diagnosed following a seizure. It inspired Emma Walsh of Chilcompton, who had scoliosis, to take on a number of fundraising challenges, raising thousands for Brain Tumour Research, including climbing the height of Everest on an indoor climbing wall, until her untimely death in 2016, aged 14, following complications after back surgery.

Andrew, was among 24 cyclists supporting the charity by taking part in Prudential RideLondon, described as “the world’s greatest festival of cycling.” Over 25,000 riders took part in the RideLondon-Surrey 100 mile sportive which 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, then returning to the finish on The Mall.  

Andrew said: ““I was really happy to finish in 7 hours and 22 minutes, smashing my target time by over an hour. 1000 miles of practice paid off!

“I didn’t find the ride as hard as I had envisaged in my head and enjoyed meeting other members of the Brain Tumour Research community and hearing and sharing stories. It was both emotional and motivational. If I didn’t have a brain tumour I wouldn’t have met these lovely people.

“It’s a sad fact that brain tumours can affect anyone at any time but no-one knows what causes them. Treatments for patients like me remain very limited. I hope my efforts will help raise awareness of this awful disease and draw attention to the dreadful under-funding of research which has gone on for far too long.” 

Carol Robertson, Head of Community Fundraising at Brain Tumour Research said: “For too long, brain tumours have been a neglected cancer. Stories like Andrew’s remind us all that we cannot allow this desperate situation to continue. We are extremely grateful to Andrew for his support and congratulate him on an amazing achievement.”

To make a donation to Brain Tumour Research via Andrew’s JustGiving page go to www.justgiving.com/fundraising/andrew-stammers9

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:
Liz Fussey at Brain Tumour Research on 07811 068357 or liz@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.