A footie fan from Camberwell will swap his football boots for walking shoes on match day and join a fundraising walk at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

Wayne Shand witnessed his HSBC football club teammates, David Hetherington and Martin Jenkins, deteriorate after devastating brain tumour diagnoses. Now, Wayne is motivated to help raise awareness and funds for research into the disease.

The David Hetherington Memorial Walk of Hope takes place on Saturday 29^th September and Wayne, 35, will embark on the three-mile route in support of Power of David (PoD), a Fundraising Group set up under the umbrella of the Brain Tumour Research charity.

Wayne, who works for HSBC’s Private Bank in London, said: “When I heard about the fundraising walk, I was determined to do my bit for the cause and join in. Although Saturday is match day, there was no question of whether I would take part.”

“Seeing how brain tumours took hold of two fit and healthy men really shocked me and the rest of the team. It was even more harrowing as David and Martin were in my age group.”

As Wayne makes his way around the Olympic Park, his favourite team, Manchester United, will be mere metres away at the London Stadium as they prepare for their match against West Ham. Wayne added: “I’m sure David and Martin would laugh if they knew I was outside the stadium walking instead of inside cheering on my team!”

David Hetherington, a dad-of-two and colleague of Wayne’s at HSBC in Canary Wharf, was diagnosed with a low-grade oligoastrocytoma, which over time changed to a grade four glioblastoma. He underwent chemotherapy, radiotherapy and immunotherapy to control the tumour but David sadly passed in November 2016 at the age of 39, leaving his wife and two young children.

The HSBC football team also mourned the loss of Martin Jenkins, whose brain tumour claimed his life just seven months after diagnosis. Martin, who lived in Orpington and worked as a branch manager for HSBC Bromley, was diagnosed with a rare brain tumour after suffering from a seizure during a work meeting. The 45-year-old had surgery to remove the tumour followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy, however, he continued to deteriorate and sadly passed in July 2017, leaving his wife and two children.

Janice Wright, Community Fundraising Manager for Brain Tumour Research, said: “We’re extremely grateful for Wayne’s support and urge others to join us on the 29^th September to help put an end to this horrible disease.

“Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, yet just 1% of the national spend on cancer research is allocated towards a cure. We cannot allow this desperate situation to continue.”

The registration fee for the Walk of Hope is £10 for individuals and £20 for families. All walkers will receive a t-shirt and, upon completing the walk, be awarded with a medal for being part of the charity’s fantastic Fighting Force.

The money raised will go to Brain Tumour Research which is funding dedicated UK Centres of Excellence where scientists are focused on improving outcomes for patients and, ultimately, finding a cure.

To book your place on the David Hetherington Memorial Walk of Hope, go to: http://www.braintumourresearch.org/david-hetherington-walk

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.