Two Workington brothers whose lives were shortened as a result of brain tumours have been remembered at a charity ball in aid of the Brain Tumour Research charity.

Over 150 friends and family members attended the ball at Washington Central Hotel in Workington to commemorate brothers Michael and Richard Jeffery who both died from brain tumours. Raising £3,500, the money will help the Brain Tumour Research charity fund sustainable research into a cure.

Richard Jeffery died from a highly aggressive and incurable brain tumour, a glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), in 1991 at the age of 25. His brother, Michael, was then diagnosed with a brain tumour in May 2016, 25 years on from his brother’s death.

Michael, who worked at Sellafield Ltd. in Cumbria, suffered from a mini seizure which was suspected to be a stroke. However, a hospital appointment two weeks later revealed that this was not the case. After months of hospital appointments Michael was diagnosed with an astrocytoma and underwent radiotherapy but the treatment was unsuccessful and Michael deteriorated until his death 18 months later in December 2017.  

The Jeffery brothers’ niece Annabelle Porter, 26, who also works at Sellafield, said: “The charity ball was such a successful event and I’m pleased to say we’ve raised over £3,500 for the Brain Tumour Research charity in memory of my uncles.

“Outcomes for brain tumour patients haven’t significantly improved since my Uncle Richard died and, sadly, my Uncle Michael’s death is testament to this fact. We can’t believe that we’ve lost both of them to this cruel disease and we want to do whatever we can to support the Brain Tumour Research charity.”

Carol Robertson, Head of Community Fundraising for the Brain Tumour Research charity, said: “Stories like Richard’s and Michael’s remind us that we cannot allow this desperate situation to continue. 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.

“We are extremely grateful to Annabelle and the rest of the Jeffery family for supporting us and we hope their charity ball inspires others to help us find a cure.”

To donate to the Brain Tumour Research charity, click here https://www.braintumourresearch.org/donation/donate-now

For further information, please contact:
Farel Williams at Brain Tumour Research on 01908 867221 or 07592 502708 or Farel.Williams@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.