A husband who lost his wife to a brain tumour has decided to organise a charity quiz night and auction to help fund research into the disease. 

Over 200 budding master minds, competing in 35 teams, took on the intellectual challenge in Earls Colne village hall, north Essex on Friday 16 November. Chris Pearcey, from White Colne, helped to organise the fundraising evening, after losing his wife Rita last year.

Rita, a well-respected and much-loved resident was diagnosed with a glioblastoma multiforme – a highly aggressive type of tumour – after suffering vision problems in early 2016. Sadly, despite an operation and numerous rounds of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, she passed away just 16 months later, aged 67.

Motivated by his loss, Chris has been fundraising for the Brain Tumour Research charity. As participants battled to be part of the winning team, the real question of the evening was how much was raised. After the quiz, the auction and the raffle the final amount has so far totalled at £5,100.

Keen quizzer Chris said: “I very much enjoyed my part in organising the fundraiser and was grateful to everyone who came along and showed their support on the night. But the biggest thank you must go to my friend Terry Beart, who has organised many charitable events over the years, his wife Paddy and the rest of his small team for picking up on my idea and running the event. Without Terry’s contacts we wouldn’t have had the huge turnout on the night, nor the sponsorship for the prizes. It also allowed me to take part myself.”

He continued “Rita and I both enjoyed volunteering at our small village hall, arranging charitable and fundraising events, and Rita was the driving force of our popular Stationmasters Arms Pub Nights in White Colne – she would often be seen behind the bar serving pints. She was a very popular member of our small community.

“I was shocked at how quickly her illness initially progressed. It opened my eyes as to how devastating a brain tumour can be for the patient and their families and I am determined to help raise money and awareness for this vital cause”

Brain Tumour Research funds sustainable research at Research Centres of Excellence in the UK; it also campaigns for the Government and the larger cancer charities to invest more in research into brain tumours in order to speed up new treatments for patients and, ultimately, to find a cure. The charity is calling for an annual spend of £35m in order to improve survival rates and patient outcomes in line with other cancers such as breast cancer and leukaemia.

Tim Green, Senior Community Fundraising Manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: “We are extremely grateful for the support of Chris and thank him for organising such a great event. Less than 20% of those diagnosed with a brain tumour survive beyond five years compared with an average of 50% across all cancers. We cannot allow this situation to continue.”

To donate to Brain Tumour Research go to https://www.braintumourresearch.org/donation

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
• Historically, 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.