A cycling event will take place in the Emerald Isle to raise money and awareness for the Brain Tumour Research charity.

Ride4Simon, in memory of Simon Oldacres, who died of brain cancer in December 2016, aged just 37, will cover nearly 250 kilometres of County Cork countryside in early August.

Simon grew up in Solihull and lived in Chippenham with his wife Sophie and young children Joseph and Esther, but with an Irish mother, spent many happy holidays in and around Cork in his formative years. Ride4Simon Ireland which will take place over the weekend of 4th and 5th August, has been planned to take in many of those places. 

The eight-strong peloton, which includes Sophie (as well as three other Chippenham residents: Ian Durnell, Paul Darby, and Liz Marchant, three people from Bristol: Fraser Reid, Brian Walker and Fiona Lambert and Simon’s brother David who lives in Rippon, Yorkshire) hopes to emulate the success of Ride4Simon UK held last September, which raised over £16,000 for the Brain Tumour Research charity. They will be cheered on by Simon’s Irish and UK family.

In 2013, Simon was diagnosed with a glioblastoma (GBM) – a most aggressive and incurable type of brain tumour. A dedicated family man and talented engineer, he died in December 2016. 

Brain tumours are indiscriminate; they can affect anyone at any age. What’s more they 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.
                                                                                                         
Sophie, a key organiser for this event and who has set up a Fundraising Group under the umbrella of the Brain Tumour Research charity, also known as Ride4Simon, explained: “Simon was a keen cyclist, and, post-diagnosis in 2013, a good cycle was his equivalent to counselling. He rode a significant distance to many of his hospital appointments, which was always recorded in the oncologist’s notes because it was so unusual.

“Through high profile examples, this year brain tumours have been in the news, but still not enough is being done through research to make a breakthrough for others facing similar diagnoses to Simon.

“As friends and family of Simon we know how shattering a diagnosis of a brain tumour still is, and we hope this ride has the potential to make a real difference so that there might one day be real hope for others given the news they have brain cancer. 

“Building on what we achieved last September with the first Ride4Simon, this year we wanted to head to County Cork, a place that was so special to Simon throughout his life and a fitting venue for this challenge.”  

Tim Green, Community Fundraising Manager for the Brain Tumour Research charity said: “We are really grateful to Sophie and the Ride4Simon team for their support and awareness- raising and wish them the best of luck in completing their challenge. The money raised will help us in our mission to build a network of experts in sustainable research. We are funding dedicated UK Centres of Excellence where scientists are focused on improving outcomes for patients and, ultimately, finding a cure.

“For too long, brain tumours have been a neglected cancer and we cannot allow this desperate situation to continue. Sadly, less than 20% of those diagnosed with a brain tumour survive beyond five years compared with an average of 50% across all cancers.”                              

Read more about Sophie’s remarkable challenge, get behind her efforts and help power the team around County Cork at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Ride4Simon2018  

For more information about the Brain Tumour Research charity go to www.braintumourresearch.org 



For further information, please contact:
Liz Fussey at the Brain Tumour Research charity on 07811 068357 or liz@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.