A man who lost his mum to a brain tumour took part in the Fell’em Doom Festive 5km run to raise funds for charity in her memory.

David Kinnersley’s mum, Pamela, passed away from a glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), a very aggressive form of brain tumour in August 2014 at the age of 56.

The 34-year-old dad of two, from Newcastle Upon Tyne, joined hundreds of runners on Saturday 10^th December 2017 to run a 5k race through the Ashington Community Woods.

He has smashed his original target of £500 to raise over £1,173 for the pioneering charity Brain Tumour Research, which funds research into brain tumours. He is now looking to a new target of £2,740, the amount it costs to fund a day of research.

David, a Matron at The Newcastle Freeman Hospital said: “I really enjoyed the race, despite the cold. It was also special having friends from my local gym join me in the run, as well as having my children and wife there to meet me at the finish line. I promised my kids I would shave my head if I passed the £500 target. So that is going to happen next week!

“My mam would be happy to know I was running for research into a disease that so little is known about. 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.”

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

To make a donation to Brain Tumour Research via David’s JustGiving page or visit  https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/David-Kinnersley2

For further information, please contact:
Lexie Jenkins at Brain Tumour Research on 01908 867222 or 07591 206545 or Lexie.Jenkins@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
• Brain tumours are indiscriminate; they can affect anyone, at any age
• 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.