A bunch of babies are taking part in a festive fundraiser to help scientists searching for a brain tumour cure.

Swimmers at Baby Paddlers swim school, based in Winchester, Hampshire, are diving into their swimming lessons dressed in festive costumes. It is ho-ho-hoped that hundreds of tiny tots will make the splash for cash as events take place across the south of England between 17 and 23 December.

Aged between six weeks and four years, the seasonal swimmers will be raising money for the Brain Tumour Research charity as they have fun and learn some water safety.

Laura Skilton, director of Baby Paddlers, said: “Our swimmers aren’t even old enough to do a full-length swim, so it’s amazing to have had such an enthusiastic response so far. We’ll be asking families to dress their youngsters in fun-themed Christmas wear at their lessons over the festive season and to make a donation to the charity.

“I was shocked to discover that brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, yet historically just 1% of the national spend of cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease. My colleagues and I thought the Santa Swims would be a fantastic way to encourage families to fundraise for this vital cause, while also enjoying some festive fun.”

Baby Paddlers is the south of England’s leading independent swim school, specialising in baby swimming lessons, with centres in locations including Winchester, Bournemouth, Surrey and Exeter.

Brain Tumour Research funds sustainable research at Research Centres of Excellence in the UK; it also campaigns for the Government and the larger cancer charities to invest more in research into brain tumours in order to speed up new treatments for patients and, ultimately, to find a cure. The charity is calling for an annual spend of £35m in order to improve survival rates and patient outcomes in line with other cancers such as breast cancer and leukaemia.

Amy White, community fundraising manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: “The Santa Swims are such a unique and exciting way of fundraising and we hope that Laura and her team at Baby Paddlers inspire others to dive into a charity challenge this Christmas. Less than 20% of those diagnosed with a brain tumour survive beyond five years compared with an average of 50% across all cancers. We cannot allow this situation to continue.”

To donate to Brain Tumour Research via the Baby Paddlers JustGiving page, go to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/babypaddlerssantaswim

For further information, please contact:
Annie Slinn at the Brain Tumour Research charity on 01908 867239 or 07591 206545 or annie.slinn@braintumourresearch.org.

Notes to Editors

Brain Tumour Research is the only national charity in the UK dedicated to raising funds for continuous and sustainable scientific research into brain tumours, and we are a leading voice calling for greater support and action for research into what scientists are calling the last battleground against cancer.

We are building a network of experts in sustainable research at dedicated Centres of Excellence whilst influencing the Government and larger cancer charities to invest more nationally.

We welcome recent funding announcements for research into brain tumours from the UK Government and Cancer Research UK – £65 million pledged over the next five years. However, this potential funding of £13 million a year comes with a catch – money will only be granted to quality research proposals and, due to the historic lack of investment, there may not be enough of these applications that qualify for grants from this pot.

We want research funding parity with breast cancer and leukaemia. We are calling for a £30-35 million investment every year for research into brain tumours in order to fund the basic research groundwork needed to accelerate the translation from laboratory discoveries into clinical trials and fast-track new therapies for this devastating disease.

The Brain Tumour Research charity is a powerful campaigning organisation and represents the voice of the brain tumour community across the UK. We helped establish and provide the ongoing Secretariat for the All Party Parliamentary Group for Brain Tumours (APPGBT). We are supporting the crucial APPGBT 2018 Inquiry into the economic and social impacts of brain tumours and will publish their report in the autumn. We are also a key influencer in the development strategy for the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission. 

Key statistics on brain tumours:

• Brain tumours are indiscriminate; they can affect anyone at any age
• Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer
• Historically, 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours
• In the UK, 16,000 people each year are diagnosed with a brain tumour
• Brain tumours kill more children than leukaemia
• Brain tumours kill more men under 45 than prostate cancer
• Brain tumours kill more women under 35 than breast cancer
• Less than 20% of those diagnosed with a brain tumour survive beyond five years compared with an average of 50% across all cancers

Please quote Brain Tumour Research as the source when using this information. Additional facts and statistics are available from our website. We can also provide case studies and research expertise for the media.