Aberdeen University Swimming & Water Polo Club (AUSWPC) is calling on swimmers to help make a splash at a charity swimathon.

The event will see a team of swimmers clocking up as many 25m lengths as possible in four hours, all in aid of the Brain Tumour Research charity. Taking place on Saturday 13^th October between 2pm and 6pm, up to 40 people are needed for the challenge to go swimmingly.

Ottilie Marsden, organiser of the swimathon and president of AUSWPC, said: “When we heard that the university’s Professional Services Office were leading a team fundraising for Brain Tumour Research, we wanted to organise something fun to help the cause.

“We’ve never done anything like this before so it’s going it be quite the test, but if we can hit our fundraising target of £1,000 then it will be worth it. If you’re a strong swimmer and you’re up for a challenge, please do come and join us!”

AUSWPC’s swimathon is part of a wider Swim for Hope campaign by Brain Tumour Research. Supported by Katy Sexton MBE, who represented Great Britain in the Sydney and Athens Olympic Games, Swim for Hope encourages people to swim and raise vital funds for research into brain tumours. 

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 this devastating disease.

Joe Woollcott, Community Fundraising Manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: “We’re delighted to have the support of AUSWPC and thank Otti for organising the charity swimathon. We hope people will help them complete their challenge and reach their fundraising target. Swim for Hope takes place across the UK during the month of October and it’s an event that many of us can get involved in, whether it’s challenging yourself to a personal best in the pool or wearing fancy dress while you swim.

“With the help of supporters like AUSWPC, 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.”

To donate to the AUSWPC’s JustGiving page, go to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/aberdeen-university-swimming-waterpolo-club or to join the team, email swimpolo@abdn.ac.uk

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 basic research groundwork 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). We are supporting the crucial APPGBT 2018 Inquiry into the economic and social impacts of brain tumours and will publish their report in the autumn. We are also a key influencer 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
• 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.