After losing his dad to a brain tumour one man was inspired to take part in the Bedford Half Marathon to raise funds for pioneering charity Brain Tumour Research. 

Stephen Riches, 42, from Elsworth in Cambridge, decided to take on the challenge in memory of his dad, John, who passed away in 2002 at the age of 58.

The challenging 13.1-mile course saw Stephen join hundreds of other runners on Saturday 2^nd September 2017, raising over £500 for the charity who fund pioneering research into brain tumours.

Stephen, an Asset Planning Process Manager for Anglian Water, said: “It was a great day and I think my dad would be happy to know I was running for Brain Tumour Research. It’s a sad fact that brain tumours can affect anyone at any time but no-one knows what causes them.

“After losing my dad to cancer when I was 27, I then lost my mum to breast cancer in 2014. Cancer is such a horrible disease and I really hope my efforts will help raise awareness 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, yet 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.

Paula Rastrick, Community Fundraising Manager for Brain Tumour Research said: “For too long, brain tumours have been a neglected cancer. Stories like John’s reminds us all that we cannot allow this desperate situation to continue. We are extremely grateful to Stephen for supporting our work and congratulate him on completing a tough race.”

To make a donation to Brain Tumour Research via Stephen’s Virgin Money Giving page, go to https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/StephenRiches

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.