The family of a Shotley Bridge farmer are on their way to raising £20,000 for the Brain Tumour Research charity in his memory.

Friends  and relatives of Adam Forster have fundraised for charity since the 42-year-old died from a brain tumour in 2014. Their most recent event, a Halloween ball, took place at the Derwent Hotel in Allensford on Saturday 27^th October. Nearly 100 ghoulish revellers enjoyed a three-course meal, live music, an auction, raffle, tombola and spooky photobooth. Organised by Adam’s sister Kerry, her husband and daughters, and Adam’s parents, the Halloween fundraiser boosted the family’s fantastic fundraising total by more than £1,825.

Adam, who farmed at Camperdown, Shotley Bridge, was diagnosed with an aggressive glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) after experiencing pins and needles in his arm. The tumour was inoperable and despite undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the farmer and keen hunting man died less than a year later, aged 42.

Kerry, Secretary for the Northumberland County Show, said: “My family and I are so pleased with how much the Halloween Ball raised. We’ve never done something like this before but it was a huge success. Thank you to everyone who came along and helped us raise so much.

“Brain tumours impact so many lives and having experienced the devastation that comes with the disease, I want to help prevent other families from going through what we did. Fundraising is also a great way to keep Adam’s memory alive, especially for my three daughters who miss their uncle so dearly.”

The family’s next event will be the fourth annual Santa Bike Run. Organised by Adam’s dad, Terry Forster, the Santa Bike Run will see a fleet of Santa Clauses take to the streets on their motorbikes to raise funds and awareness. Terry, who rides his old Harley Davidson each year, will lead his merry band on a 20-mile round trip from Delves Lane in Consett to Brocksbushes Farm Shop in Corbridge.

Matthew Price, community fundraising manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: “Well done to the Robson and Forster family for organising a fantastic Halloween Ball and adding more than £1,825 to the total raised in Adam’s memory. We’re extremely grateful for their contribution and hope that they will inspire others to support the cause.

“Adam’s story reminds us that brain tumours kill more men under 45 than prostate cancer and that less than 20% of those diagnosed with a brain tumour survive beyond five years. We cannot allow this desperate situation to continue.”

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.

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
• Historically, 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.