A woman will complete a 55km walk as part of a trio of fundraising events to help fund research into brain tumours, inspired by a close friend’s diagnosis with the disease.

Bryony Marsden, 34, from Coulsdon, Surrey will take on the South Coast Challenge on Saturday 25^th August 2018. She will join some 2,000 walkers at the ultra-marathon, which begins in Eastbourne and covers a coastal route along the South Downs Way.

The South Coast Challenge is one of three sporting challenges Bryony is taking on in as many months, all in aid of the Brain Tumour Research charity. In July, she tackled a 12-hour indoor cycle and in September she will complete a mile-long open water swim in Hackney. She has dubbed her fundraising ‘Bry’s Tri’, with each challenge representing the running, cycling and swimming involved in a triathlon.

Having been shocked by the lack of funding for research into brain tumours, Bryony has already raised over £1,500 for Brain Tumour Research, which funds continuous and sustainable research into the disease.

Bryony, Head of HR for London-based accountancy firm Lubbock Fine, said: “Having previously run the Ugandan Marathon and also having completed a six-day trek in Peru, I am looking forward to my next sporting test. Though I’ve been training hard, I am sure the South Coast Challenge will be tough and I will have a few blisters as I cross the finish line. I’m also hoping the weather isn’t too hot on the day!”

Bryony added: “My friend’s diagnosis came completely out of the blue. I want to help people who find themselves in a similar position by completing my triathlon and, in doing so, I hope to inspire others to pick up a bike, running shoes or swimsuit in pursuit of a cure.”

Tim Green, Senior Community Fundraising Manager for the Brain Tumour Research charity, said: “For too long, brain tumours have been a neglected cancer. We are extremely grateful to Bryony and wish her the best of luck in completing the South Coast Challenge and the rest of her sporting fundraisers.

“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, yet just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease.”

To donate to the Brain Tumour Research charity via Bryony’s JustGiving page, go to

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/brystri

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.