A man who lost his mum to an aggressive brain tumour will run in the London Marathon in support of the Brain Tumour Research charity.

Croydon resident Matthew Scott will pay tribute to his mum Christine by running in the London Marathon and raising vital funds for research into brain tumours. The 26-year-old is aiming to raise £3,000 to help find a cure for the disease which kills more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer.

Matthew, who works as an Account Director at IPG Media Brands, said: “The London Marathon is going to be a huge challenge but running to raise money and awareness for Brain Tumour Research will help me cross that finish line. I want to do what little I can to help prevent others from going through the same so, if you can, please donate and help me reach my target.”

Christine Scott, a community and family worker who lived in Croydon for more than 30 years, was diagnosed with a low-grade oligodendroglioma in 2011. Her prognosis was good and despite epilepsy she continued with a normal life. After five years however, the tumour became aggressive and even though she underwent surgery and treatment, she died in May 2018 leaving her husband, five children and baby granddaughter.

Her second youngest child Matthew will join tens of thousands of runners pounding the streets of the capital at Virgin Money London Marathon, the world’s most famous running event, on Sunday 28 April 2019.

Janice Wright, community fundraising manager for Brain Tumour Research in London, said: “We’re extremely grateful for Matthew’s support and thank him for sharing his mum’s story to raise awareness. We hope others will be inspired by him and help us fund the fight against brain tumours.

“For too long brain tumours have been a neglected cancer. Despite being the biggest cancer killer of under 40s, historically just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease, and we’re proud to be changing this.”

Brain Tumour Research funds sustainable research at dedicated 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.

To make a donation to Brain Tumour Research via Matthew’s JustGiving page, go to

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Matthew-Scott8

For further information, please contact:

Farel James at Brain Tumour Research on 01908 867221 or 07592 502708 or Farel.James@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 ground-breaking research 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) which published its report Brain Tumours A cost too much to bear? in 2018. Led by the charity, the report examines the economic and social impacts of a brain tumour diagnosis. We are also a key player 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, 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.