An award-winning milliner is launching a new couture design to support research into the biggest cancer killer of the under 40s.

Southbank-based Katherine Elizabeth Millinery is launching a couture hat to help raise vital funds for the Brain Tumour Research charity. Inspired by the charity’s annual fundraising event, Wear A Hat Day, luxury designer Katherine will donate 20% of the proceeds of the hat throughout 2019.

Available to buy now, the beautiful couture hat, named Jasmine, is part of Katherine Elizabeth Millinery’s 2019 collection. Adorned in silk and vintage brooches from the 1930s and 1940s, the hat is hand-made and hand-beaded by Katherine at her OXO Tower boutique.

Katherine, who won the London Lifestyle Award for Best Fashion Retailer in 2012, said: “It’s an honour to help support Brain Tumour Research with this new design. Over the years I’ve made hats for a couple of women who have been affected by brain tumours, and I thought it would be a nice way to support people like them with a special hat design. I hope we can raise some much-needed funds towards research.”

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, historically, just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to a cure.

In addition to donating proceeds, Katherine will also host a drinks evening at her studio to mark Wear A Hat Day and the culmination of Brain Tumour Awareness Month. On Thursday 28 March, customers can join her in her boutique for stunning views of the capital and special promotions.

Janice Wright, community fundraising manager for Brain Tumour Research in London, said: “We’re extremely grateful to Katherine for her support. Her donations will help us to fund sustainable research at dedicated Centres of Excellence in the UK, and will also raise awareness of the disease.

“Wear A Hat Day takes place on Friday 29 March but you can host your own event or fundraising activity on any day. Whether it’s wearing your favourite hat to work and raising awareness of the disease, or hosting a hatty bake sale to fundraise, there are lots of ways to get involved.”

Brain Tumour Research also campaigns for the Government and the larger cancer charities to invest more into research into brain tumours in order to speed up new treatments for patients and, ultimately, to find a cure. The charity is calling for an annual spend of £35m in order to improve survival rates and patient outcomes in line with other cancers such as breast cancer and leukaemia.

To enquire about a Jasmine hat, go to: https://www.katherineelizabethhats.com/

To get involved in Wear A Hat Day, or donate, please visit: www.wearahatday.org

Or text HAT to 70660 to donate £5*

#HATTASTIC

* Texts cost £5 plus network charge. Brain Tumour Research receives 100% of your donation. Obtain the bill payer’s permission. Call 01908 867200 with any queries.

For further information, please contact:

Farel James at Brain Tumour Research on 01908 867221 or 07592 502708 or Farel.James@braintumourresearch.org

Notes to Editors

Brain Tumour Research is the only national charity in the UK dedicated to raising funds for continuous and sustainable scientific research into brain tumours, and we are a leading voice calling for greater support and action for research into what scientists are calling the last battleground against cancer.

We are building a network of experts in sustainable research at dedicated Centres of Excellence whilst influencing the Government and larger cancer charities to invest more nationally.

We welcome recent funding announcements for research into brain tumours from the UK Government and Cancer Research UK – £65 million pledged over the next five years. However, this potential funding of £13 million a year comes with a catch – money will only be granted to quality research proposals and, due to the historic lack of investment, there may not be enough of these applications that qualify for grants from this pot.

We want research funding parity with breast cancer and leukaemia. We are calling for a £30-35 million investment every year for research into brain tumours in order to fund the ground-breaking research needed to accelerate the translation from laboratory discoveries into clinical trials and fast-track new therapies for this devastating disease.

The Brain Tumour Research charity is a powerful campaigning organisation and represents the voice of the brain tumour community across the UK. We helped establish and provide the ongoing Secretariat for the All Party Parliamentary Group for Brain Tumours (APPGBT) which published its report Brain Tumours A cost too much to bear? in 2018. Led by the charity, the report examines the economic and social impacts of a brain tumour diagnosis. We are also a key player in the development strategy for the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission. 

Key statistics on brain tumours:

• Brain tumours are indiscriminate; they can affect anyone at any age
• Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer
• Historically, just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours
• In the UK, 16,000 people each year are diagnosed with a brain tumour
• Brain tumours kill more children than leukaemia
• Brain tumours kill more men under 45 than prostate cancer
• Brain tumours kill more women under 35 than breast cancer
• Less than 20% of those diagnosed with a brain tumour survive beyond five years compared with an average of 50% across all cancers

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