Staff from Exeter-based company Oxygen House cycled a combined 711km in aid of Brain Tumour Research's annual On Yer Bike spinathon challenge, raising vital funds for research into the devastating disease.

With the help from Riverside Leisure Centre, which loaned the team three spin bikes to complete the challenge, 77 employees pushed through the burn; each taking a 13-minute slot to cycle as far as possible. The team pedalled their way to raising over £1,600, surpassing the achievements of any charity event the firm has run before.

The event was held in memory of Pebblebed Vineyard founder, Geoff Bowen, who was a friend to many of the team at Oxygen House. Geoff, who appeared on Dragon’s Den in 2011 and won the backing of Scottish entrepreneur Duncan Bannatyne, sadly lost his brain tumour battle on Saturday 6^th January 2018, just three months after being diagnosed.

Carol Robertson, Head of Community Fundraising (North) for Brain Tumour Research, said: “We would like to thank everyone at Oxygen House who hopped on a bike, sponsored a cyclist, made a donation. Geoff clearly inspired a lot of people and the event was a fitting tribute to his fighting spirit.

“The money raised will go towards funding research at one of our Centres of Excellence, where scientists are focused on improving outcomes for patients and, ultimately, finding a cure.”

Over 16,000 people are diagnosed with a brain tumour each year in the UK, though little is known about the disease. 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.

Brain Tumour Research’s next event is Wear A Hat Day on 29th March. To register for Wear A Hat Day, please visit: www.wearahatday.org Or text HAT to 70660 to donate £5* #HATTASTIC

To make a donation to Brain Tumour Research go to www.braintumourresearch.org

For further information, please contact:
Lexie Jenkins at Brain Tumour Research on 01908 867222 or 07591 206545 or Lexie.Jenkins@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.