The University of Portsmouth’s Department of Sport and Recreation (S&R) has strengthened its partnership with the Brain Tumour Research charity with a donation of £4,164. 

Colleagues in the S&R team fundraised for the charity through its annual Staff Sports Day, a Staff vs. Students football match at Fratton Park, and various other events throughout the year, including Wear a Hat Day. Over the past decade, the team has raised in excess of £16,000 for the charity. 

The money raised goes towards the Brain Tumour Research charity which helps to fund continuous and sustainable scientific research into brain tumours at its four Centres of Excellence – one of which is based on the S&R team’s doorstep at the University of Portsmouth. 

The Portsmouth centre is the charity’s flagship and one of the largest dedicated teams of lab-based researchers working on this disease within the UK. 

Chris Coe, Sports Duty Supervisor, in the S&R dept. said: “Knowing that such vital research is taking place on our doorstep is something to be proud of and all of us here in S&R want to support the Brain Tumour Research charity as it works towards improving treatment options for patients and, ultimately, finding a cure for brain tumours. 

“We all rallied together to raise as much as possible and I’d especially like to thank Amber Jerome, Nadine Doutre, Carl Athersuch, Lisa Wearn and Jack Collins for organising the events and maximising our total.” 

In recognition of their donation, Chris and colleagues from the S&R team were invited to the centre to meet with the scientists and tour the lab. The team also placed tiles on the Wall of Hope, where each tile represents the £2,740 it costs for just one day of research into the disease. 

Chris added: “Touring the lab was fascinating but it also opened my eyes to the fact that only 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours. Considering it’s the biggest cancer killer in children and adults under the age of 40, this isn’t right. We’re pleased we’ve been able to raise so much for the charity and we’re looking forward to raising even more.” 

Tim Green, Senior Community Fundraising Manager, said: “The S&R team’s support has been invaluable to the charity and we’re extremely grateful for their donation. 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, yet just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease.” 

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.