A woman from Rode Heath, inspired by the loss of two young men to brain tumours, has completed the London Marathon in an impressive time of 4.07 to raise funds to help scientists find a cure for the disease.

Rachel Hollins, 41, remembers the agony of Lynne Fallon, one of her very good friends, losing her son, Luke, aged just 17, little more than a year after his diagnosis because there were no effective treatments, let alone a cure. Added to this, Darel Bryan, a young man who worked for the same company as Rachel, Clarion Housing, but in a different office, tragically passed away aged 34, just 15 months after he too was diagnosed with a brain tumour.

Now, Rachel has raised more than £900 for the pioneering charity Brain Tumour Research which funds a network of Centres of Excellence where scientists are focused on improving outcomes for patients and, ultimately, finding a cure. With other donations promised, Rachel is optimistic she will reach £1,000 which will be match-funded by Clarion Housing Group.

Rachel said: “I have seen the devastation this disease causes to families. For obvious reasons, raising funds for research into brain tumours is a cause very close to my heart. I hope that my marathon effort will also help to raise awareness of the shocking statistics around this disease.”

She added: “Boy was it a hot one! A tough day at the office, but I am super proud just to have got round! It was a run of two halves – I was on track with my time for the first half, but at mile 13 I started to get some cramp in my leg and realised that with the heat I needed to slow the pace down. Overall, I really enjoyed the marathon and was pleased with my time, considering the conditions.”

Rachel was among 40,000 runners taking part in the event which was started by The Queen from the grounds of Windsor Castle and relayed to big screens at the start line in Blackheath. It was the 38^th London Marathon to take place since the first on 29^th March 1981.

Michael Thelwall, Head of Community Fundraising for Brain Tumour Research, said: “Rachel’s determination and commitment are fantastic and I hope she will provide inspiration to others whose lives have been affected by a brain tumour.

“Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer – and more men under 45 than prostate cancer – yet just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease.

“For too long, brain tumours have been a neglected cancer. Experiences like Darel’s and Luke’s remind us all that we cannot allow this desperate situation to continue. We are extremely grateful to Rachel and offer our congratulations to everyone who took part in this year’s event to raise money for charity.”

Make a donation to Brain Tumour Research via Rachel’s JustGiving page.

For further information, please contact:
Liz Fussey at Brain Tumour Research on 07811 068357 or liz@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 published in February 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
• 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.