Losing his best friend to a brain tumour inspired one man to take on a demanding triathlon challenge, raising over £2,000 for the pioneering charity Brain Tumour Research. 

Philip Wilson, 31, from Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, took on The London Triathlon, the most popular triathlon in the world, in memory of his friend Phil Blackmore, who passed away from a brain tumour New Year’s Eve 2016, after a short battle with the disease. Phil was just 31.

Phil was a keen sportsman and completed the same triathlon twice before he became ill.  Wishing to continue his sporting legacy, Philip took on a 750m swim, followed by a 20km bike and 5km run.

Philip, a Buying Manager for supermarket Tesco, said: “Phil was a really sporty and outgoing guy, so I thought I owed it to him to complete the challenge, even though I’m not a great long-distance swimmer.

“It’s a sad fact that brain tumours can affect anyone at any time but no-one knows what causes them. I hope my efforts will help raise awareness of this awful disease and draw attention to the research that needs to be conducted to find a cure.” 

Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer but just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease. The charity is striving to fund a network of seven dedicated research centres whilst challenging the government and larger cancer charities to invest more in brain tumour research.

Janice Wright, Community Fundraising Manager for Brain Tumour Research in London, said: “For too long, brain tumours have been a neglected cancer. Stories like Phil’s reminds us all that we cannot allow this desperate situation to continue. We are extremely grateful to Philip for raising such vital funds to help us find a cure for this horrible disease.”

To make a donation to Brain Tumour Research via Philips JustGiving page, go to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/philip-wilson15

Brain Tumour Research is campaigning to see the national spend on brain tumour research increased to £30 - £35 million a year, in line with breast and leukaemia, in order to advance treatments, and ultimately find a cure.

For further information, please contact:
Lexie Dabney at Brain Tumour Research on 01908 867222 or 07591 206545 or lexie.dabney@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 are building a game-changing network of world-class Research Centres of Excellence in the UK. Embracing passionate member charities nationwide, £5.5 million was raised towards research and support during 2016.

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 charity is celebrating a year of high-profile campaigning on this issue following the unprecedented success of its petition in 2016. Following that, Brain Tumour Research is now taking a leading role in the Government’s Task and Finish Working Group convened to tackle the historic underfunding for research.

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.