The Mayor of Exmouth is bringing together individuals, organisations and businesses from across the town to raise funds for scientists working to find a cure for brain tumours.

Councillor Brian Cole, who has chosen Brain Tumour Research as his mayoral charity for the year, is encouraging as many people as possible to get involved in Wear A Hat Day which, this year, takes place on Thursday 29^th March across the UK.

Brain Tumour Research funds a network of Centres of Excellence, one of which is based at the University of Plymouth, where scientists are focused on improving outcomes for the many thousands of families affected by a brain tumour diagnosis every year, and, ultimately finding a cure. 

Moved by the vital work done by the charity, Cllr Cole has already successfully signed up a number of local businesses to take part, including Specsavers, Santander, NatWest, Barclays and LED Leisure, as well as council staff. He is appealing for others to join them by holding their own Wear A Hat Day events.   

The day will have particular significance to staff at the town’s Exeter Road Specsavers branch, who lost a team member to a brain tumour. At national level, Specsavers is an official sponsor of Wear A Hat Day this year.

Cllr Cole said: “Every year more than 16,000 people are diagnosed with a brain tumour in the UK, and this cause is very close to my heart as brain tumours can attack anyone at any age, from very young children to adults. More research is vital if we are to understand what causes different types of brain tumour, and find a cure for this devastating disease.”

Wear A Hat Day has raised over a million pounds since it was launched by the charity Brain Tumour Research nine years ago and is the culmination of Brain Tumour Awareness Month in March. The big day will see schools, workplaces, families and individuals across the UK fundraising and taking part in fun events to raise awareness of brain tumours and help fund life-saving research.

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. Funds raised through Wear A Hat Day 2018 will develop the charity’s network of world-class brain tumour research centres in the UK.

Emma Cronin, Community Fundraising Manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: “Brain tumours are indiscriminate; they can affect anyone, at any age. We are extremely grateful to Cllr Cole and the local business community for getting involved, and hope people will be inspired to hold their own events. It’s as easy as wearing a hat and making a donation!”

To get involved, 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:
Susan Castle-Smith at Brain Tumour Research on 01908 867206 or 07887 241639 or Susan@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.