Fitness blogger Amy Jones will be spinning towards a brain tumour cure as she leads a charity class in memory of a close friend.

Amy (@mimilouj), who is known for her motivational fitness posts on Instagram, is supporting the Brain Tumour Research charity in tribute to Phil Blackmore who died from the disease in 2016. With more than 11,000 followers, Amy is hoping her social media community will help to raise awareness of the fact that brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer. Despite this fact, historically just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease.

To raise funds for research, Amy is also hosting a charity spin class on Saturday 23 February as part of the charity’s On Yer Bike campaign. Taking place at Digme Fitness in the Rathbone Square in Fitzrovia, the event will see up to 60 people join Amy for a BEAT spinning class where they will cycle in sync with each other and the music.

Amy, who lives in Balham and works full-time as a corporate manager, said: “I’m really excited for this event as it’s for a cause extremely close to my heart. Phil loved his fitness, taking part in the Etape du Tour, triathlons and marathons, so this seemed like a great way to honour him.

“Please come along and join in the fun if you can. Everyone who joins will get a coffee shot on arrival and an espresso martini after the class from Beanbag Coffee, plus refuel from Pho Restaurant and goody bags to take home.”

Phil Blackmore was diagnosed with a low-grade brain tumour in August 2016 at the age of 31 and his sudden death, just weeks later on New Year’s Eve, has inspired Amy and many others to raise funds and awareness for research into brain tumours.

Janice Wright, community fundraising manager for Brain Tumour Research in London, said: “Thank you to Amy for organising this event as part of our On Yer Bike campaign. The spin class sounds like great fun and we’re really pleased that it has already raised more than £700. It’s not too late to get ‘On Yer Bike’; anyone and everyone can get involved so please visit www.onyerbikechallenge.org and help us fund the fight.

“Phil’s story reminds us that brain tumours are indiscriminate and 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, historically, just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease, and Brain Tumour Research is proud to be changing this.”

Brain Tumour Research funds sustainable research at dedicated 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.

To make a donation to Brain Tumour Research via Amy’s fundraising page, go to https://onyerbike.everydayhero.com/uk/amy

To book a space on the class, message Amy on Instagram @mimilouj

For further information, please contact:

Farel James at Brain Tumour Research on 01908 867221 or 07592 502708 or Farel.James@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 ground-breaking research 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) which published its report Brain Tumours A cost too much to bear? in 2018. Led by the charity, the report examines the economic and social impacts of a brain tumour diagnosis. We are also represented on the Steering Group 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, just 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.