A bereaved daughter who lost her dad to a brain tumour has taken part in a sponsored walk to help scientists searching for a cure.

Megan Barter, 22, from Taunton, took part in The Bridgwater and Taunton Canal Walk of Hope – one of several walks organised by the Brain Tumour Research charity, to help fund research into the disease.

Many of those taking part in the 12-mile walk, which began at Bridgwater Docks on Saturday 8^th September, have been personally affected by a brain tumour. Megan lost her dad, Philip Barter, to the disease in September 2016, when she was just 20.

Philip, a construction manager from Taunton, was diagnosed with a grade 4 glioblastoma – a highly aggressive type of tumour – after suffering from headaches and seizures. He had surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy but sadly passed away aged 50, leaving his wife, Vicki, and their two teenage children, Megan and Jack.

Megan, a mental health nurse, said: “After going through the painful loss of my dad I wanted to try and help make a difference for other families, so I decided to fundraise for Brain Tumour Research. When I heard about the walk from Bridgwater to Taunton I thought it would be the most perfect way to raise money and to remember my dad.

“Having spoken about my loss to friends, family members and colleagues, it has struck me as how common brain tumours are and how many of us are affected by them. My dad was courageous throughout his treatment and I’m sure, if he were still here today, he would have done the walk alongside me.”

Megan was joined by several other walkers on the day and the group also cheered on a team of six canoeists, who were paddling a total of 29 miles and walking for a further 14.5 miles. The Canoeing for a Cure team were also raising money for Brain Tumour Research in honour of their good friend, Jim Murray, a 51-year-old police officer from Bridgwater. Jim is living with a glioblastoma brain tumour.

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.

Michael Thelwall, Head of Community Fundraising at Brain Tumour Research, said: “For too long, brain tumours have been a neglected cancer and stories like Philip’s and Jim’s remind us all that 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.

“We are very grateful to Megan and the other walkers for taking part in The Bridgwater and Taunton Canal Walk of Hope. The money raised on the day will go towards research into the causes of brain tumours, improving outcomes for patients and, ultimately, finding a cure.”

Donate to Brain Tumour Research via Megan’s JustGiving page.

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.