A girl aged seven has recruited a team of friends and family to take part in a charity challenge in memory of her mum.

Just weeks after losing her mum to a brain tumour, Phoebe Hope Vines has set about raising money to fund research which she hopes will save lives in the future.

Becky Vines was diagnosed with an aggressive glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) brain tumour at the age of 23. Initially told she had a year to live and would never be able to have a child, Becky defied the odds by surviving for nine years and giving birth to “miracle baby” Phoebe. Over the years, Becky underwent surgery three times and endured many months of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

She passed away in June at the home she and Phoebe shared with her parents Claire and Steve in Tetford, Lincolnshire. Now, just two months after her death, Phoebe is leading an 11-strong team in a sponsored walk along 11 miles of the Grand Union Canal in Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire. She has already achieved more than 50% of her £500 target.

Phoebe said: “I am seven years old and my mummy died of a brain tumour in June. I really miss her. She wanted me to be happy and I want to make her proud of me.”

Among those taking part in the event on 30^th September are Becky’s mum Claire, two nieces, a cousin, an old school friend and other relatives.

They are raising money for the pioneering charity Brain Tumour Research which operates a network of Centres of Excellence where scientists are focused on finding new treatments and, eventually, a cure for brain tumours. Each day of research costs £2,740

Claire said: “Becky was an inspiration and she always managed to be so positive throughout everything. Her daughter Phoebe is a delightful child, so strong and so much like her mum.

“Phoebe knows everything there is to know about brain tumours to the extent that, unprompted, she stood up and gave a talk to her class at school. She told them there was no cure for brain tumours because there wasn’t enough money to pay scientists to find one. We are extraordinarily proud of Phoebe and her fundraising plans as I know Becky would be too.”

Carol Robertson, Head of Community Fundraising for Brain Tumour Research in Lincolnshire, said: “We are so touched by Phoebe’s commitment to helping others particularly after losing her own mum in such dreadful circumstances. Sadly, she is not alone as brain tumours 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.”

To make a donation to Brain Tumour Research via Phoebe’s JustGiving page please go to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/beckysbattlers To take part in the walk or another challenge please visit www.braintumourresearch.org

For further information, please contact:
Susan Castle-Smith at Brain Tumour Research on 01908 867206 or 07887 241639 or Susan@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 are building a game-changing network of world-class Research Centres of Excellence in the UK. Embracing passionate member charities nationwide, £5.5 million was raised towards research and support during 2016.

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 charity is celebrating a year of high-profile campaigning on this issue following the unprecedented success of its petition in 2016. Following that, Brain Tumour Research is now taking a leading role in the Government’s Task and Finish Working Group convened to tackle the historic underfunding for research.

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.