A university employee who died just a few months after her brain tumour diagnosis has inspired her colleagues to take on a running challenge.

A team of 20 staff members from Aberdeen University are aiming to raise £10,000 for the Brain Tumour Research charity at the Great Aberdeen Run. They are running in memory of their former colleague, Sue Richardson, a Director of Finance, who intended on participating herself before her tragic death in May 2018.

Sue, who worked at the university for a number of years and had recently taken up a similar position at Coventry University, was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour in early 2018. Despite having surgery, Sue died just 16 weeks after her diagnosis, aged 54 – unable to fulfil her wish of completing the run.

Now, Sue’s colleagues are determined to take part, helping Brain Tumour Research in its mission to build a network of experts in sustainable research. The organisation of the event is being led by Caroline Inglis, the university secretary at Aberdeen. Caroline was close friends with Sue and a keen running buddy.

Caroline said: “Sue and I had run a number of races together and she is dearly missed by all of us. She had been a keen runner for many years and took part in many marathons and half marathon events including the Great North Run, so our fundraiser will be a fitting tribute to her.”

Caroline is being helped in the organisation by a colleague, Iain Grant, who added: “Some of us were planning to run with Sue, but will now be running in her memory for the charity she chose. It will be particularly poignant for those doing the half marathon as the course comes through the University campus. We’ve been holding a number of group training sessions, and that’s great for spurring people on.”

Caroline, Iain and their colleagues will join thousands of runners tackling the Great Aberdeen Run on Sunday 26^th August. The event, which starts and finishes on Union Street, will cover some of the city’s iconic landmarks and promises to be a great day out for participants of all ages.

Joe Woollcott, Community Fundraising Manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: “We are extremely grateful to the staff at Aberdeen University for signing up for this fantastic challenge and wish them the best of luck in completing the run in memory of Sue.

“Sue’s story reminds us that 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 donate to Brain Tumour Research via the team’s JustGiving page, visit: https://www.justgiving.com/companyteams/runforsue

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
• 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.