I joined campaigners in Westminster to mark the start of Brain Tumour Awareness Month - an opportunity to raise awareness of brain cancer and to call for more funding for research.
The event was hosted by the Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, a long-standing patron of the charity Brain Tumour Research. Held in the House of Commons, the event was packed with politicians of all parties, scientists, campaigners, supporters and celebrities, who were brought together in the name of advancing awareness and research of the deadly disease.
I met with and inspirational constituent and Brain Tumour Research campaigner and fundraiser Simon Tier at the event. Simon tragically lost a close friend to the disease and has since raised over £30,000 for research , including a charity bike ride which took him through India. I attended a debate in 2016 on increasing funding for brain tumour research, in which I spoke on Simon’s behalf.
I spoke with Geoffrey Pilkington, Professor of Cellular and Molecular Neuro-Oncology and Head of Brain Tumour Research Centre at the University of Portsmouth.
Brain cancer is a devastating illness that has blighted so many lives for too long. I am pleased with funding that the Government has put into research, but of course there is much more to be done.
It was announced last month that £20m is being invested by the Government into brain tumour research.