A glam rock-inspired band is preparing to strike a chord for brain tumours with a fundraising gig in memory of Cat Anderson who grew up in Corby and passed away in June last year, aged 38, from a brain tumour.

To celebrate the fourth anniversary of the band’s fundraising gigs for charity, as well as the year in which Cat would have turned 40, Pouk Hill Prophetz will be rocking the music at the Wayfarers pub in Kettering on Saturday 17^th November from 7.30pm. The event is to raise funds for Cat in a Hat, a Fundraising Group set up under the umbrella of the Brain Tumour Research charity and so named because of the huge collection of hats Cat managed to amass when she lost her hair during treatment.

Cat was diagnosed with an aggressive and incurable brain tumour in 2014 and, after surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment, seemed to be doing well. Along with her parents, Rab and Margo Anderson of Kettering, Cat was shocked to discover that brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer.

Rab said: “Research into brain tumours is a cause very close to our hearts. We know it is too late for Cat, but we are passionate that a cure must be found to bring hope to future patients and their families. Losing a child is devastating whether or not that child has grown-up.

“Cat adored music – she was always singing and dancing – and particularly loved the opportunity to go to concerts. She was very excited to be invited up on stage at one of Pouk Hill Prophetz’s gigs and became great friends with the band members. As soon as they learnt about Cat’s diagnosis and the fact that historically just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours, they started to support Cat in a Hat’s fundraising.”

Pouk Hill Prophetz band member, Nigel Hart said: “We are very proud to have raised around £20,000 to date for the cause, which has included match-funding from Deutsche Bank. Earlier this year we were honoured to be invited to Brain Tumour Research’s Centre of Excellence at Queen Mary University of London to put up a tile on the Wall of Hope in recognition of our fundraising for Cat in a Hat.

“Cat was such an inspirational person. She was always laughing and encouraging everyone to have fun. We will be playing many of the big hits from the 70s by bands like Sweet, Slade and T-Rex, and there will be a raffle with prizes including vouchers and bottles of booze. I will also be organising an auction of Rock and Roll memorabilia separately to add to our Cat in a Hat fundraising, so keep an eye on the Pouk Hill Prophetz Facebook page!”

Rab added: “Bring your friends along for a fun-filled night in memory of Cat, with the option of wearing music-themed fancy dress, in honour of the hundreds of thousands of people who suffer daily from brain tumours and to raise vital funds for research into this devastating disease. We are very grateful to Tracy Levy at the Wayfarers for offering the venue free of charge.”

Michael Thelwall, Head of Community Fundraising at Brain Tumour Research, said: “Tickets are only £5 and are already selling fast. Please show your support in memory of Cat.  

“The money raised will help us to fund dedicated UK Centres of Excellence where scientists are focused on improving outcomes for patients and, ultimately, finding a cure.”

To purchase tickets contact Tracy Levy at the Wayfarers, any of the Pouk Hill Prophetz band members, or email rabanderson333@yahoo.co.uk

To make a donation in memory of Cat Anderson go to http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/catinahat1

Follow Pouk Hill Prophetz on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/Pouk-Hill-Prophetz-852856794762299/

For further information, please contact:
Liz Fussey at Brain Tumour Research on 07811 068357 Liz@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.