Staff from the University of Portsmouth have gone head to head at its 10^th annual staff sports day, raising over £2,000 for the Brain Tumour Research charity.

Over 200 participants, split into 23 teams, enjoyed a day of fun races and events at Ravelin Park. Staff from the university’s academic and support departments took on traditional challenges including an egg and spoon race, three-legged race and sack race, and teams also vied for victory on a giant inflatable Hungry Hippos game.

Participants then moved onto the Waterhole Bar at the Student Union for a raffle in aid of the charity. Various prizes were donated by local Portsmouth businesses and organisations including Portsmouth Guildhall, Feed Café, Medusa Hairdressing, New Theatre Royal and Sprinkles Gelato.

Nadine Doutre, from the Sports and Recreation department at the University of Portsmouth, said: “Our 10th sports day was the biggest yet with several staff members taking part. It’s a great team building exercise and it’s brilliant to see members of staff from across various departments and faculties coming together. It gets more and more competitive each year!

“The annual sports day also allows us to raise money for a great cause. Over the past ten years, we’ve raised over £10,000 for the Brain Tumour Research charity and we hope to keep adding to this in years to come.”

The money raised with help the Brain Tumour Research charity in its mission to build a network of experts in sustainable research. The charity funds dedicated UK Centres of Excellence, including the one at University of Portsmouth, led by Professor Geoff Pilkington. This is one of the largest dedicated teams of lab-based researchers working on brain tumours within the UK, where scientists are focused on improving treatments for patients and, ultimately, finding a cure.

Tim Green, Community Fundraising Manager for the Brain Tumour Research charity, said: “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.

“We are extremely grateful to the staff at University of Portsmouth for their ongoing support. Events like this help make a difference and in supporting vital research into brain tumours, we are getting closer to a cure.”

To make a donation to the Brain Tumour Research charity, go to https://www.braintumourresearch.org/donation/donate-now

For further information, please contact:
Farel Williams at Brain Tumour Research on 01908 867221 or 07592 502708 or Farel.Williams@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.