Money raised from a charity football game at Carrow Road will help scientists find a cure for brain tumours.

The match, which raised £5,179 for the pioneering charity Brain Tumour Research, was held on Saturday 12^th May in memory of Canaries fan Edward Morrison who died in January, aged 41, less than four years after being diagnosed with the disease.

Edward, who was also known as Andrew or Geordie, was a lifelong fan of the club and a regular at the ground even when, in later years, his career as an energy trader saw him living and working in Germany.

It was one of Edward’s last requests for there to be a fundraising match to help other patients and the game, which involved family and friends, means his brother Pete, who lives in Norwich, has been able to make this dying wish come true.

Edward was diagnosed with a low-grade tumour in 2014 and underwent two operations followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy. However, in August 2017, Edward received the devastating news that the tumour had become aggressive and was now classified as a grade four glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).

Further treatment was unsuccessful and Edward passed away on 7^th January in a hospice in Dusseldorf, Germany, where he lived and worked.

Pete said: “Edward was a huge fan of Norwich City FC and used to go to their matches regularly, so hosting the event here at Carrow Road has been a perfect way to commemorate him. He was such a fun-loving guy and he’s left such a big hole in so many lives.

“One of Edward’s last requests was that we organise a football game in his memory as, even in his illness, he wanted to raise funds for research into brain tumours. Although it was too late for him, he was determined to prevent others from suffering from this devastating disease. We’ve raised over £5,000 so far and would be thrilled with any further donations.”

Also in attendance was Edward’s friend, Angus Cameron, who broke his leg last month in the final kilometre of the London Marathon. Angus, who was also raising funds for Brain Tumour Research, was on track to complete the race in less than three hours when his femur broke in the final straight.

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.

Michael Thelwall, Community Fundraiser for Brain Tumour Research, said: “For too long, brain tumours have been a neglected cancer. Stories like Edward’s remind us all that we cannot allow this desperate situation to continue.

“We are extremely grateful to Pete for organising such a fantastic event and to Edward’s family and friends for helping to fundraise. The money raised will go towards Brain Tumour Research’s network of dedicated Centres of Excellence where scientists are focused on improving outcomes for patients and, ultimately, finding a cure.”

To make a donation to Brain Tumour Research via Pete’s JustGiving page go to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/edwardandrewmorrison

For further information, please contact:
Farel Williams at Brain Tumour Research on 01908 867221 or 07592 502708 or farel.williams@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 in the UK 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.