A devoted mum whose daughter is coping with life-long symptoms caused by a brain tumour has set herself an ambitious walking challenge to raise money to help scientists find a cure for the disease.

Angela Reid, mum to 17-year-old Charlotte, is among the first people to sign up for The Big Little Walk, a new fundraising initiative launched by the pioneering charity Brain Tumour Research. Participants are being asked to walk 5K but Angela is going 31 times better – she has set herself the challenge of completing that distance every day during May and June.

She said: “Our daughter was diagnosed with a brain tumour three years ago and since then we have witnessed how devastating this disease is. This has had a dramatic effect on our world and, between caring for Charlotte, hospital appointments and work, we don’t get much time to ourselves.

“I’ve been told so many times I should do something for myself – so this is it and I’ve decided to go big by doing it every day for two months. By signing up to take part I know that, even when I’m feeling wearing, emotional, or just ready to just chill on the sofa, I have a task in hand to get this walk done, even if it’s pacing the corridors of the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital where we often find ourselves.”

Angela’s Big Little Walk will see her cover a total of 305K (190 miles) and the money she raises through sponsorship will fund vital research. Brain Tumour Research funds a network of Centres of Excellence, including one at the University of Plymouth, where scientists are focused on developing new treatments and, ultimately, finding a cure.

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 just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease.

To make a donation to Angela’s Big Little Walk or to take part go to https://biglittlewalkofhope.everydayhero.com/uk/5km-a-day-keeps-the-doctor-away/wizard/share

#BigLittleWalk

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 have established a game-changing network of world-class Research Centres of Excellence in the UK. Embracing passionate member charities nationwide, over £6 million was raised towards research and support during 2017.

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 unprecedented success of our 2015 petition led to the 2016 Westminster Hall debate and Brain Tumour Research taking a leading role in the Government’s Task and Finish Working Group convened to tackle the historic underfunding for research with the report being published in 2018.

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.