A team of work colleagues are taking on a running challenge in memory of a friend lost to a brain tumour.

Staff members at Peak Retreats, a ski operator based in Portsmouth, are tackling the Great South Run in their ski goggles. The 10-mile run will be snow joke for several team members, who have never taken on a sporting challenge before.

The fundraiser, which takes place on Sunday 21^st October, will pay tribute to colleague, Valerie Fouger, who died five years ago.

After collapsing on a skiing holiday, Valerie, from France, who was in charge of client administration at Peak Retreats, fell into a coma and was diagnosed with a brain tumour. She endured several operations, chemotherapy and radiotherapy but tragically she passed away in November 2013, on her 31st birthday, two years after her diagnosis.

A team of 14 staff members, from Peak Retreats and sister company Ski Collection, will join 20,000 other runners completing the route, which starts and finishes on the Esplanade in Southsea. One of those participating is Natalie Soma, who is one of the founders of Peak Retreats, and she will travel from her home in France to complete the challenge.

Natalie said: “Valerie was a much-loved and valued staff member and more importantly a loyal friend. She was dedicated, positive and extremely hard-working and we have all been affected by her loss. The Great South Run will be a wonderful tribute to this lovely lady and we are all looking forward to the amazing atmosphere on the day.”

Brain tumours are indiscriminate; they can affect anyone at any age. What’s more, they kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, which has historically received just 1% of the national spend on cancer research.

The group are raising money for the Brain Tumour Research charity, which funds dedicated UK Centres of Excellence, including its centre at the University of Portsmouth, where scientists are focused on improving outcomes for patients and, ultimately, finding a cure.

Tim Green, Senior Community Fundraising Manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: “We are extremely grateful for the support of the Peak Retreats team and wish them the best of luck in completing the event. Valerie’s story reminds us that 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 sponsor the team, please go to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/peakretreats

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, 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.