Two brothers who lost their father to a brain tumour are running the Leeds 10k on 8^th July to help to find a cure for the disease which killed him.

Darren Needham, 40, from North Leverton, near Retford and his brother Andrew, 38, of Doncaster have been in training for the race to continue their father Alan Needham’s legacy of raising funds for the national Brain Tumour Research charity.

Alan, who moved from Doncaster to Scunthorpe for the last few years of his life, was diagnosed with an aggressive and incurable glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) brain tumour in January 2014. He was told he had just six to 12 months to live. Alan underwent a wide-awake craniotomy, as well as chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

In 2017, Alan was told that his tumour had returned and that he needed further surgery. Sadly he suffered a stroke during the operation and later developed sepsis. Alan was admitted into Castlethorpe nursing home as he needed 24-hour care.

Alan, who passed away in January, was a highly-respected conductor and musical director of brass bands across Yorkshire and the Midlands. He raised more than £11,500 for the Brain Tumour Research charity.  

Darren said: “Andy and I are running the Leeds 10k in Dad’s memory. Dad was always such a larger than life character – it was horrible to see how the brain tumour affected him, particularly in the last few months.

“I hope Dad will be proud of us. I am not a natural runner, although I did run a 10k a few years ago, but have done nothing since.

“Please donate in memory of Dad. Brain tumours are indiscriminate; they can affect anyone at any age. 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.

Carol Robertson, Head of Community Fundraising for the Brain Tumour Research charity, said: “For too long, brain tumours have been a neglected cancer. Experiences like Alan’s remind us all that we cannot allow this desperate situation to continue. We are extremely grateful to Andrew and Darren for their support. Together we will find a cure.”

To make a donation to the Brain Tumour Research charity via Darren’s Just Giving page go to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/darren-needham1

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 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.