A nursing home is hosting an evening of eating, drinking and dancing, all in aid of research into brain tumours.

Sisters Bethney Kelly and Becky McBride, owners of Langdale Nursing Home, in Gosport, are inviting members of the public to join them for an Autumn Ball. The seasonal celebrations will take place at the Gosport Masonic Hall in Gosport on Saturday 27^th October, raising money for the Brain Tumour Research charity.

Highlights will include a fine four-course meal, a raffle and – adding a kind of magic to the evening – a Freddie Mercury tribute act performed by Bethney’s son Sebastian Kelly, a cruise ship entertainer, who has pushed the boat out to sing on the night.

Bethney said: “As chairperson for the local Eastern Star Chapter, I chose Brain Tumour Research as the charity we are supporting this year. The annual ball is a popular and fun evening for both our members and their families, together with the local community. It’s a chance for people to dress-up and tuck into a delicious dinner, before having some great entertainment and a dance to some well-known hits.”

Bethney and Becky were motivated to fundraise for Brain Tumour Research after losing their dad, Denis Kelly, to the disease 31 years ago.

Denis, former owner at the nursing home, who was born and bred in Gosport, endured two gruelling operations, chemotherapy and radiotherapy after being diagnosed with a brain tumour. Sadly, Denis died in July 1987, three years after his diagnosis, aged 57.

Bethney, 60, added: “The evening will be a wonderful tribute to my dad and other individuals who have been diagnosed with this awful disease and I’m looking forward to seeing just how much we raise for this vital cause.”

Tim Green, Senior Community Fundraising Manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: “We are very grateful to Bethney and to all those involved for supporting Brain Tumour Research. We would like to encourage everyone to have a sing, a dance and to enjoy the dinner on the night. The money raised will go towards research into the causes of brain tumours, improving outcomes for patients and, ultimately, finding a cure.”

Brain Tumour Research funds sustainable research at Research Centres of Excellence in the UK, including its centre at the University of Portsmouth; 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.

To donate to Brain Tumour Research, go to https://www.braintumourresearch.org/donation/donate-now

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, 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.