A charity is opening the doors to its research Centre of Excellence to help fund the fight against brain tumours.

The Brain Tumour Research charity will be inviting members of the public to visit its laboratories at the University of Portsmouth, where scientists are dedicated to finding a brain tumour cure. The event, on Tuesday 11^th September, is taking place as part of a national campaign, Remember A Charity Week, which brings together charities, government and stakeholders to highlight the importance of legacy giving.

Remember A Charity Week, which runs from 11^th – 16^th September, showcases the importance of leaving a gift in your Will and calls on the public to pass on something wonderful to future generations. Almost half the UK population doesn’t have a valid Will and this can cause serious implications for families and loved ones after someone’s death.

Brain Tumour Research is raising awareness of how the generosity of their supporters could make a real difference to a cause close to their hearts. The public will be invited to meet scientists who are working at the forefront of research into brain tumours and have a unique opportunity to see how leaving a gift could significantly speed up the progress in what scientists are calling the last battleground against cancer.

Gary Kelly, Gifts in Wills manager at the charity, said: “Many charities in the UK rely on people leaving a gift in their Will; it provides sustainability for their work. At Brain Tumour Research we’re very thankful to those who pledge to support us in this way.”

Gary added: “We are encouraging our supporters to come along and see first-hand the difference that gifts in Wills could make to research into brain tumours and everyone diagnosed with a brain tumour. It could be your legacy and could offer hope for the families of thousands of people in the UK who are diagnosed with this devastating disease every year.”

Brain Tumour Research funds dedicated UK Centres of Excellence – including one at the University of Portsmouth – where scientists are focused on improving outcomes for patients and, ultimately, finding a cure.

Brain tumours are indiscriminate; they can affect anyone at any age. What’s more, 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.

If you are interested in coming to the Gifts in Wills event, or have any questions about writing or changing your Will, please email: legacy@braintumourresearch.org

For further information, please contact:
Annie Slinn at the Brain Tumour Research charity on 01908 867239 or 07591 206545 or annie.slinn@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.