One year on from the brain tumour death of a Welwyn Garden City man, friends and family are cycling from London to Southend to raise money for the Brain Tumour Research charity.

Over 20 cyclists will embark on the 53-mile journey on the anniversary of James Deal’s death, with the hope of donating £2,000 towards research into the disease that killed him. James, an electrician, lived for 10 years with a brain tumour before his death in July 2017 at the age of 37. Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, and more men under 45 than prostate cancer.

David Jordan, brother-in-law to James and organiser of the London to Southend cycling challenge, said: “There will be 23 of us riding non-stop for at least five hours to help fund the fight against brain tumours and we would appreciate any support we can get.

“James was taken away from us all far too soon. He was loved by so many and is now missed by so many, especially by his family. Seeing him suffer and the devastation in brought to his family, made me realise that something needs to be done about brain tumours.

“The fact that more lives under 40 are claimed by brain tumours than any other cancer, yet research into the disease receives the least funding, is just ridiculous.”

Joining David on the ride will be 23 others, including James’ siblings, Kelly Jordan and Dean Deal, and his cousin Jon Deal. Members of the team are also riding in memory of Scott Franey, from Welwyn Garden City, who died from a brain tumour in 2014 aged 41.

Michael Thelwall, Head of Community Fundraising at the Brain Tumour Research charity, said: “We wish David and the London to Southend team the best for their challenge and are extremely grateful for their support.

“Stories like James’ remind us that we cannot allow this situation to continue. 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.”

Donate to the Brain Tumour Research charity via David’s JustGiving page.

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.