A Fundraising Group is calling on people to join a charity walk in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to raise vital funds towards research into brain tumours.

The David Hetherington Memorial Walk of Hope will see supporters take on a gentle three-mile walk with Power of David (PoD), a Fundraising Group set up under the umbrella of the Brain Tumour Research charity, to help fund the fight against the biggest cancer killer of children and adults under 40.

Taking place on Saturday 29^th September, the event will be the second of its kind after nearly £20,000 was raised in 2017 by walkers across the globe. Many of those who take part will be inspired by the spirit of David, a 39-year-old dad-of-two who lost his fight against a brain tumour in November 2016. However, PoD, a group created by David’s widow Shaz, is calling on people from across the city to join them at the Olympic Park and contribute towards a cure.

She said: “The Walk of Hope will be a fun family-friendly day out and it’s an easy way to do your bit for an extremely important cause. The route is suitable for pushchairs, wheelchairs and for people with disabilities so everyone is welcome.

 “The devastation that my children and I have suffered isn’t unique to our family. In the UK, 16,000 people a year are diagnosed with a brain tumour and tens of thousands more are suffering from the aftermath; if as many of us as possible come together to fundraise then we can help to cure this awful disease once and for all.”

The registration fee for the Walk of Hope is £10 for individuals and £20 for families. All walkers will receive a t-shirt and, upon completing the walk, be awarded with a medal for being part of the charity’s fantastic Fighting Force.

The money raised will go towards Brain Tumour Research which is funding dedicated UK Centres of Excellence where scientists are focused on improving outcomes for patients and, ultimately, finding a cure.

PoD has raised over £25,000 for Brain Tumour Research in memory of David Hetherington, and on Wednesday 5^th September, Shaz was invited to visit the Imperial College Research Centre of Excellence to see how money raised contributes towards vital research. Shaz, who was accompanied by her two children and David’s family, also had the opportunity to place four tiles on the Wall of Hope where each tile represents the £2,740 it costs to fund a day of research.

To book your place on the David Hetherington Memorial Walk of Hope, go to: http://www.braintumourresearch.org/david-hetherington-walk

For further information, please contact:
Farel James at Brain Tumour Research on 01908 867221or 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 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
• 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.