A police officer has raised thousands of pounds to fund scientific research into finding a cure for brain tumours.

PC Katy Drabble, 37, chose to raise funds for pioneering charity Brain Tumour Research after two friends were diagnosed with the same type of aggressive brain tumour last year.

Inspired by this Katy set about raising money to help by taking part in the Taunton Half Marathon earlier this month and last year’s Great South Run.

Katy’s fundraising was acknowledged on Wednesday 11^th April when she visited the Brain Tumour Research Centre at Plymouth University’s Peninsula School of Medicine and Dentistry. Accompanying her were friend and colleague PC Jim Murray, 51, who is undergoing treatment for a grade four glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most aggressive type of brain cancer. Jim, who has three sons and two grandchildren, was Katy’s mentor when she started her police career 15 years ago.

Her fundraising, which has now reached more than £4,000, was also inspired by John Heath, aged 87, who died just three weeks after his diagnosis a year ago. John was also a Bridgwater resident as are Jim and his wife Ally.

Along with Jim and his wife Ally, Katy met researchers at the centre, one of four funded by the charity, where the work is focused on improving treatments for patients and, ultimately, finding a cure.

Katy placed a tile on the Wall of Hope representing the £2,740 it costs to fund a day of research. She said: “It’s lovely that Jim and Ally are able to come and see first-hand the research that is underway. I feel really proud to have raised enough to contribute to something so important. Just being at the research centre and seeing what they are doing really draws attention to the cost of research and work that needs to be conducted to find a cure for brain tumours.”

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.

According to Brain Tumour Research, less than 20% of those diagnosed with a brain tumour survive beyond five years, compared with an average of 50% across all cancers.

Emma Cronin, Community Fundraising Manager for Brain Tumour Research, said: “We are really grateful to Katy for raising vital funds to support important research into a disease which affects so many people and their families each year. Stories like Jim’s and John’s remind us all that we cannot allow this desperate situation to continue.”

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

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 January 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.