A Variety Show held in Tadworth earlier this month and organised by the family of a Banstead wife and mother who passed away from a brain tumour, has raised more than £2,200.

The Song for Sue Foundation, a fundraising group under the umbrella of game-changing national charity, Brain Tumour Research, was set up by David Thomas of Acorn Close, Banstead and his daughters Rachael Thomas (of Motspur Park) and Holly Still (of Banstead), along with son-in-law Lewis in November last year. To date The Song for Sue Foundation has raised more than £20,000 in memory of Sue who passed away in December 2015 aged 57, before she was able to meet her two grand-daughters born in January and May 2016.

The Variety Show at Merland Rise Church attracted a range of acts, including No Limits, a Gospel band from West London and Sutton and Steve Brookstein from Mitcham, who was the first ever winner of ITV’s the X Factor.

David said: “It was an amazing night with wonderful feedback from the people who came.  I particularly want to thank all the acts who took part, Lewis for his hard work bringing the acts together and Merland Rise Church for their not inconsiderable help.

“We used the opportunity to raise awareness and asked for donations and also held a raffle.  People were very generous. I spoke to a number of people on the night who had brain tumours themselves or who had friends or family with this devastating disease.

“When Sue was diagnosed we discovered that just 20% of brain tumour patients survive five years, which compares with an average of 50% across all cancers, yet just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours. Sue survived less than two and a half years after diagnosis. We are striving to help make a difference and so we are delighted that the monies we have raised to date will sponsor seven days of research.”

Steve Brookstein commented: “I was delighted to be involved in the Variety Show. It was shocking to hear how poor survival rates are for brain tumour patients. For the sake of the thousands of families each year that are given the terrible news that a loved one has been diagnosed, I hope that more effective treatments and ultimately a cure are discovered quickly. I have huge admiration for Sue Thomas’s family for what they are doing in her memory.”

Tim Green, Fundraising Manager for the South East, said: “David and his family are totally committed to helping raise awareness and funds for research. Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, so it is vital that greater funding is found to increase research into this neglected area.”

Brain Tumour Research is campaigning to see the national spend on research into brain tumours increased to £30 to £35 million in line with breast cancer and leukaemia.

The next event for The Song for Sue Foundation will be a Dinner Dance on 11^th November at the Surrey Downs Golf Club, following the huge success of their first Dinner Dance held a year previously. Tickets priced at £50 each are expected to go quickly. For information email dbthomas@hotmail.co.uk  

To donate to The Song for Sue Foundation go to www.justgiving.com/fundraising/songforsue

 

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 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.