A farmer from County Durham has been remembered by his three nieces at a fundraising walk in aid of the Brain Tumour Research charity.

Gracie, Ellie and Lauren Robson, aged 11, 13 and 15, took part in the Rising Sun Country Park Walk of Hope in memory of their uncle Adam Forster who died from a brain tumour. The girls walked for 3.9 miles to raise vital funds for research into the disease.

Adam, who farmed at Camperdown, Shotley Bridge, passed away at the age of 42, less than a year after being diagnosed with an aggressive and inoperable glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) brain tumour. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy proved unsuccessful and Adam died 11 months later in May 2014.

Kerry Robson, mum to the girls and sister to Adam, said: “The girls have done so well to raise over £300 through their sponsored walk. I’m so proud of them and it’s lovely that they want to keep their uncle’s memory alive. What happened to Adam was devastating for us all but we’re channelling our grief into something positive.”

Matthew Price, Community Fundraising Manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: “The support of Gracie, Ellie, Lauren and Kerry brings us one step closer to a cure and for that we are extremely grateful. The Walk of Hope was a wonderful event and it goes to show that everyone and anyone can get involved in the cause and help us fundraise.

“Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, yet historically only 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to a cure. Adam’s story reminds us that we can’t allow this situation to continue.”

The money raised will help Brain Tumour Research in its mission to fund dedicated Research Centres of Excellence in the UK and to campaign for the Government and larger cancer charities to invest more in research nationally.

To sponsor Gracie, Ellie and Lauren, go to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/16adamforsterwalk

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 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.