A bereaved mum and dad were amongst family members and friends who have raised £50,000 to help fund research into brain tumours, following the death of their son.

Michael Smith, from Burton-on-the-Wolds, was just 27 years old when his life was tragically cut short by an aggressive brain tumour in 2015.

Since losing their son, Eileen and Terry Smith have been fundraising for the Brain Tumour Research charity.

The culmination of two recent fundraising events in November have helped the family exceed their ambitious £50,000 target. This included a fancy dress fundraiser and an awards ceremony hosted by ProCon – a non-profit organisation based in Leicester, run by more than 600 members, who hold regular events throughout the year to connect professionals in property and construction.

On Saturday 3 November, to celebrate Michael’s life, a fancy dress evening was held at Charnwood Golf and Leisure Complex in Hathern, Loughborough. Guests were invited to wear fancy dress beginning with M or S (Michael’s initials).

The sixteenth annual ProCon awards ceremony, on Thursday 15 November, involved a delicious dinner, a prize-winning raffle and a celebration of this year’s biggest achievements in the construction industry. Held at the King Power Stadium, more than £7,000 was raised in memory of Michael, who attended many of the ceremonies while he worked as a chartered surveyor with Lambert Smith Hampton.

Eileen, from Loughborough, said: “Terry and I are so grateful to ProCon for helping us to fundraise in Michael’s name and we’ve been moved to hear that his colleagues have missed him joining them at the ceremony over the past three years. The event was a fantastic way to hit our £50,000 target, approaching the third year anniversary of losing Michael, and we are proud of all that has been achieved so far. We hope to continue to fundraise for many years to come.”

Eileen continued: “I’m also honoured to be campaigning for Brain Tumour Research and recently enjoyed attending the charity’s first brain tumour campaigner’s workshop. I want to raise awareness of the disease and the shocking statistics. Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, yet historically just 1% of the national spend of cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease.”

Brain Tumour Research funds sustainable research at Research Centres of Excellence in the UK. It also campaigns for the Government and the larger cancer charities to invest more in research into brain tumours in order to speed up new treatments for patients and, ultimately, to find a cure. The charity is calling for an annual spend of £35m in order to improve survival rates and patient outcomes in line with other cancers such as breast cancer and leukaemia.

Carrie Bater, community fundraising manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: “We are very grateful for the ongoing support of Eileen and Terry and congratulate them on their incredible fundraising achievements. We would also like to thank ProCon for raising money in Michael’s name and we hope they inspire other organisations to donate to this vital cause.

“Sadly, Michael’s story reminds 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. We cannot allow this situation to continue.”

To donate to the Brain Tumour Research charity go to https://www.braintumourresearch.org/donation

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
• Historically, 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.