Children and their parents are being invited to take part in a spoke-tacular cycling challenge to help fund research into brain tumours.

The Chippenham to Lacock bike ride, which winds its way around the Hardenhuist Brook on Sunday 30^th September, will be the perfect event to get kids into gear, while also paying tribute to two Chippenham residents lost to brain tumours, Simon Oldacres and Leo Darby.

In 2013, Simon was diagnosed with a glioblastoma (GBM), a highly aggressive and incurable type of brain tumour, and sadly died in December 2016. He left his wife Sophie and young children Joseph and Esther. Sophie has set up Ride4Simon, a Fundraising Group under the umbrella of the Brain Tumour Research charity in her late husband’s name, to help find a cure for brain tumours.

Leo, a pupil at Ivy Lane died in November 2015, just a month before his 12^th birthday. Motivated by his loss, Leo’s dad, Paul Darby, helped to organise the 16km cycling fundraising challenge.

Paul, said: “I can’t wait to see everyone take part in the bike ride, which will be a fantastic day out for the whole family and a wonderful way to raise money for this vital cause. We’ve been on a roll with our fundraising so far and have had lots of interest from local families, so I’m really proud of our efforts.”

Starting at 1pm from the Millennium Wall by the river at Avenue La Fleche, the ride will follow the path to Lacock for a pit stop of ice cream before returning to John Coles Park for medals and cake. For those a little more unsteady on the bikes, there is an opportunity to take part by joining everyone on a lap around John Coles park between 3:30pm and 4pm.

Tim Green, Community Fundraising Manager for the Brain Tumour Research charity said: “We are very grateful for the ongoing support of those involved with Ride4Simon and we would like to encourage everyone to join in the fun at the Chippenham to Lacock bike ride.

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

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.
                            
To find out more about the cycle and to donate to Ride4Simon raising funds for Brain Tumour Research please visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/r4slacock-2018 

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



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.