A Ladies who Lunch event inspired by a Clitheroe man with a brain tumour will take place on 22^nd April at the Dunkenhalgh Hotel in Clayton-le-Moors to raise funds for local charity Inbetweenears.

A Blackburn woman, whose son was diagnosed, aged 25, with a highly aggressive glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) brain tumour, is inviting local people to help raise funds for scientists working to find a cure for the disease.

Mum of Jay Lynchehaun, Sharon Hacking, 54, from Great Harwood, said: “This will be the sixth consecutive year we have held our Ladies who Lunch event at the Dunkenhalgh – it’s back by popular demand!

“Last year we had just over 230 ladies and we raised over £11,000, some of which was used to support brain tumour patients or to offer grants to families affected by the condition, but the majority went to UCLan in Preston where Inbetweenears is funding a full-time researcher.  So many people want to come this year that so far we have had to sort an extra six tables to accommodate 300 guests.

“Tickets are still available for £25, which includes a three-course meal and wine, entertainment and, of course, lots of fun. Tables are for 10 or 12 guests. If you would like to come, please email me via sharonhacking@gmail.com.

“Jay, now 32, was told he had just months to live, having been diagnosed with an aggressive and incurable GBM, but thankfully he is still very much here with us today, more than six years on. He is married to the lovely Becky and the happy couple have a 14-month-old son, Teddy.

“Fortunately, Jay is an exception to the rule. Just 20% of brain tumour patients survive for five years compared with 50% across all cancers.

“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.”

Jay underwent surgery, and chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment. He looked around for support groups, but couldn’t find anything appropriate for brain tumour patients his age – they were all for children or old people. It led to Jay being inspired to set up a charity to support adults between the ages of 18 and 40, resulting in Inbetweenears, a member charity of pioneering national charity, Brain Tumour Research.

Sue Farrington Smith, Chief Executive of Brain Tumour Research said: “We are delighted that Inbetweenears is part of our brain tumour community and wish Sharon all the best for this year’s Ladies who Lunch event. Our partnerships with other charities help us in our mission to help people fight against this devastating disease. We are working towards better outcomes for patients – from improved awareness for earlier diagnosis, to the development of more effective, personalised treatments and targeted drugs. Through the funds generated, we will be able to significantly fast-track progress towards finding a cure for brain tumours.”

For more information or to support Inbetweenears, go to www.inbetweenears.co.uk  or follow us at www.facebook.com/inbetweenears

For more information about Brain Tumour Research visit www.braintumourresearch.org

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 focused on funding sustainable research to find a cure for brain tumours. We have established a game-changing network of world-class Research Centres of Excellence in the UK. Embracing passionate member charities nationwide, over £6 million was raised towards research and support during 2017.

We are campaigning to see the national spend on research into brain tumours increased to £30 - £35 million a year, in line with breast cancer and leukaemia. The unprecedented success of our 2015 petition led to the 2016 Westminster Hall debate and Brain Tumour Research taking a leading role in the Government’s Task and Finish Working Group convened to tackle the historic underfunding for research with the report published in 2018.

Key statistics on brain tumours:

• Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer
• They kill more children than leukaemia
• They kill more men under 45 than prostate cancer
• They kill more women under 35 than breast cancer
• Just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease
• In the UK 16,000 people each year are diagnosed with a brain tumour
• Less than 20% of those diagnosed with a brain tumour survive beyond five years compared with an average of 50% across all cancers
• Incidences of, and deaths from, brain tumours are increasing.

Please quote Brain Tumour Research as the source when using this information. Additional facts and statistics are available from our website including our latest Report on National Research Funding. We can also provide case-studies and research expertise for media.