British actress Sheila Hancock wants local businesses in Portsmouth, England, to sponsor a day of brain tumor research at the local university.
Hancock, who is also Chancellor of the University of Portsmouth, has joined with Brain Tumour Research to lead the campaign.
“My grandson Jack was diagnosed with a brain tumour at the age of four – we were incredibly lucky Jack’s tumor was low grade and he lives a normal healthy life now, but it is terrible to watch a family member go through the diagnosis and treatment of a brain tumor,” said the actress. “I implore you to get involved and buy as many days as you can on the ‘Wall of Hope’ to support vital research.”
In the UK, brain tumors kill more children than leukaemia or any other cancer; more women under the age of 35 than breast or any other cancer; and more men under the age of 45 than prostate or any other cancer, yet brain tumor research receives less than 1% of national cancer research spending.
Brain Tumour Research, a group of 18 brain tumor charities, is today launching the £7m ‘Centres of Hope’ fundraising campaign to address the serious under-funding of research into the UK’s biggest cancer killer of children and adults under 40.
The ‘Centres of Hope’ campaign aims to raise £7m for seven centres of excellence to get seven times closer to a cure, the first of which is at the University of Portsmouth. The regional centres will be dedicated to laboratory-based brain tumor research that will work towards increasing understanding of brain cancer and the ways it can be treated. Each centre of excellence will require ongoing funding of £1m per year which will be raised through local fundraising including a ‘Wall of Hope’, the first of which is being officially launched today at the University of Portsmouth centre of excellence.
For more information about the campaign, visit www.BrainTumourResearch.
