NEWS FROM OUR MEMBER CHARITIES

James Clifford Campling Trust

On 10th April 2023, we marked five years since losing James, the inspiration for this Charity, to a glioblastoma (GBM). We have fond memories of James, who was an Aeromedical Evacuation Specialist in the RAF before he had to retire on medical grounds, taking on a whole raft of challenges and events for Brain Tumour Research, including a Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge. His efforts along with a loyal group of friends raised more than £30,000.

Trustee Tim Robinson who is holding a race night later in the year, has co-hosted a successful craft fair for the James Clifford Campling Trust, selling bracelets with inscriptions which he had made.

Brain Tumour Action

Sadly, Brain Tumour Action (BTA), a Founding Member Charity of Brain Tumour Research, is closing down after 30 years supporting patients and their families. A substantial donation to Maggie’s Edinburgh was made from remaining funds to ensure the continuation of the brain tumour support group BTA has run for over 30 years. As well as booklets providing information on living with a brain tumour and informative videos, the Charity organised annual brain tumour family days out, as well as funded research projects. It also campaigned at government level to raise awareness of patient concerns and to highlight the need for greater funding of research into brain tumours.

Our heartfelt thanks go to BTA for all it achieved while supporting the cause.

CHARLIE’S CHALLENGE

Set up 30 years ago in August 1993

(see Sue’s Foreword on pages 4-5), Charlie’s Challenge has raised more than £1 million to help fund research at our Centres of Excellence to identify more effective treatments and a cure for childhood brain tumours. The Charity has also kindly supported Brain Tumour Research to fund Brain UK, the world’s first national virtual brain tissue bank.

Life-long friend of Charlie Boutwood, the inspiration for the charity, Edward Monnington ran the TCS London Marathon this year, his first-ever endurance run, for Charlie’s Challenge, raising £3,500.

CHILDREN’S BRAIN TUMOUR RESEARCH CENTRE

Brainwaves Ni

We congratulate Brainwaves NI on being nominated as a Charity of the Year by the Student Union at Queen’s University Belfast. Its relationship with the university is to be further strengthened when Brainwaves’ second studentship – a threeyear sponsorship commitment at Queen’s Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research – is recruited.

The Charity is particularly grateful to Manus McShane who ran 6km every day for a year in memory of his brother-in-law Brendan Devlin, raising an amazing £16,571

Led by Professor Richard Grundy and Dr Tim Ritzmann from the Children’s Brain Tumour Research Centre in Nottingham, a pan-European clinical trial for children and young adults with ependymoma is to be conducted, having received a grant of £1.25 million in funding from Cancer Research UK. Looking at treatment pathways, researchers will examine the benefits of delivering chemotherapy with added valproic acid after surgery and radiotherapy, as well as extra doses of radiotherapy.