A mother and daughter are taking on the 54-mile London to Brighton cycle to help fund research into the disease.

Jessica Fielder, a student at the University of Leeds and her mum, Beverley, who lives in Norwich, where Jessica grew up, will cycle to raise money for the Brain Tumour Research charity after Beverley was diagnosed with a brain tumour 10 years ago when her daughter was 11. They are motivated by the fact that 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.

After experiencing dreadful headaches, vomiting and being unable to eat, Beverley, now 52, a Claims Administrator at Bernard Matthews, was diagnosed in April 2008 with a hemangioblastoma – a rare, low-grade type of brain tumour, which unlike most other types of brain tumour, can usually be cured through surgery.

Jessica, who is studying Management and Portuguese, said: “I am looking forward to doing the London to Brighton with Mum and the support I’ve already had from my family and friends has been amazing.

“I have taken part in a lot of charity cycles in the past including Leeds to Paris and Berlin and Prague, but Mum is also joining me this time, which is very exciting as it’s her first long cycle.

“All my cycles have been for very worthwhile charities, but this is extra special for me and my mother since Brain Tumour Research means a lot to us. This year marks 10 years since my mother had a brain tumour and we wanted to do a challenge together to celebrate her good health and to commemorate 10 years on from her surgery.

“We hope to raise money and awareness for research into brain tumours and inspire others to fundraise for this worthy cause too.”

The London to Brighton Cycle Ride is a mass-participation bike ride covering the 54 miles from Clapham Common in London to Madeira Drive on the Brighton sea front. Over 4,000 riders are expected to take part in the challenge, which takes place on Sunday 16^th September.

Tim Green, Senior Community Fundraising Manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: “We are extremely grateful for Jessica and Beverley’s support and wish them all the best for the bike ride. It’s great to hear that Beverley is celebrating 10 years on from surgery, but it’s a sad fact that less than 20% of those diagnosed with a brain tumour survive beyond five years compared with an average of 50% across all cancers. For too long, brain tumours have been a neglected cancer and we cannot allow this desperate situation to continue.”

To sponsor Jessica and Beverley, go to https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/jessicafielder5

For further information, please contact:
Liz Fussey at the Brain Tumour Research charity on 07811 068357 or liz@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.