Colleagues from the QD store in Hadleigh competed in a raft race to raise over £460 for pioneering charity Brain Tumour Research, after one of their store team died from a brain tumour earlier this year.

Anita Page-Bolton, manager at the store, took to the waters as part of a four-strong team. The group competed against 16 other teams in the annual Duck and Raft Race challenge on the River Brett, wearing tutus and on a man-made raft.

The team decided to take on the challenge, after losing their friend and colleague, Natalie Freeman, to a brain tumour earlier this year. Having recently given birth to her second child and due to return to full time work, Natalie sadly died suddenly the day after Valentine’s Day. She was just 25 years old.

Anita said: “We all miss Natalie every day, she was such a kind and friendly person and her family was everything to her. We wanted to do something fun to keep her memory alive and this seemed like the perfect fit.

“It’s a sad fact that brain tumours can affect anyone at any time but no-one knows what causes them. We hope our efforts will help raise awareness of this horrible 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.

Paula Rastrick, Community Fundraising Manager for Brain Tumour Research in Suffolk, said: “For too long, brain tumours have been a neglected cancer. Stories like Natalie’s are so sad to hear, and remind us all that we cannot allow this desperate situation to continue. We are extremely grateful to Anita and the QD team for raising vital funds to help us find a cure for this awful disease.”

To make a donation to Brain Tumour Research go to https://www.braintumourresearch.org/donation

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.