Cat Anderson, who was born in Glasgow and grew up in Corby before moving to Uppingham where she lived with partner James Tilford and her son Robert Dunne, 19, is the inspiration behind a unique pin badge being sold to raise funds for research into the disease which took her life on 14^th June, last year, aged just 38.

Cat was diagnosed with an aggressive and incurable brain tumour in 2014.

Shocked to discover 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, Cat and her family set up the Cat in a Hat fundraising group under the umbrella of pioneering national charity, Brain Tumour Research. The group’s name came about because, after Cat lost her hair due to chemotherapy, she was often seen wearing one of an impressive range of hats given to her by friends and family.

Modelled on the Cat in a Hat logo, these distinctive badges, in memory of Cat Anderson, have been produced in the run up to the charity’s Wear A Hat Day event, taking place in 2018 on Thursday 29^th March.

This year’s Wear A Hat Day event looks to be bigger than ever before, as thousands of people in schools, universities and workplaces across the country will don beanies, top hats, trilbies, fascinators and fedoras, to raise awareness and fundraise for vital research into brain tumours.

Cat’s father, Rab Anderson of Kettering, said: “We are finding it extremely difficult without Cat. I wake up each morning and almost immediately I feel such a terrible sense of loss. It’s only when I am asleep that I don’t feel the pain and anguish of living without her.  Cat was always so bubbly and fun – we all miss her dreadfully, including her mum, Margo, sisters Lorraine and Lizzie, as well as James and Robert, who recently completed a photography course at Leicester College and has now started a job at Lands’ End clothing in Oakham, which he is enjoying.

“It would mean so much to us if people bought a badge to remember Cat and to help vital fundraising for research to find more effective treatments and ultimately a cure for brain tumours.

“We are asking everybody to wear their badges ahead of Wear A Hat Day to inspire others to support the campaign. In the UK, over 16,000 people are diagnosed with a brain tumour each year, with less than 20% surviving beyond five years, compared with an average of 50% across all cancers.”

The Cat in a Hat badge is available for a suggested donation of £5 on eBay or direct from Rab Anderson. To find out how you can get involved with Wear A Hat Day go to www.wearahatday.org and to find out about Cat in a Hat fundraising events follow Cat in a Hat on Facebook.

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
• 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.