UPDATE - 03.09.2016

On 2nd October, Emma - one of my best friends and old house mate will be running the Bournemouth marathon. The run is 26.2 miles...so no mean feat. Hopefully the beautiful coastal setting and her running companions will inspire Em to complete the race and get a great finish time. I am so grateful to Emma for undertaking this brutal challenge, so please sponsor her however you can afford to. Em has been a constant support to me throughout my treatment and I am SO grateful to her for choosing to do this challenge and committing to all the time-consuming training required.

UPDATE - 11.04.16

On 24th April, my old housemate Jenny is running a half marathon, 21km along Rockingham foreshore Western Australia to raise money for my ongoing treatment. She is aiming for a time of 2hours 15 minutes but her aim is to just finish! She hasn't yet reached 21km during training and she knows the last 5 km are going to be tough. Please sponsor Jen whatever you have can to complete this brilliant run for me.

UPDATE - 13.09.15

Today my really good friend Emma completed the Bristol Half Marathon to raise funds for me. Known historically for her lacrosse skills and more recently for playing a bit of netball, but not known for her running! This makes her excellent time of 1hr49 all the more impressive - well done Em!! And a big thank you for all you have raised.

UPDATE - 09.08.15

After a gruelling training schedule and a very wet practice event, Paul completed the London Triathlon today in 1hr 27 minutes with a reasonable swim, a good bike ride and a not-so-good run (for him!)

With much baking and cake sales high, plus a fund-raising party hosted by Paul and Katherine, nearly £1000 has been raised!

UPDATE - 04.05.15

JANE DID IT!

I'm delighted to announce my 'much fitter now' aunt Jane has successfully completed her 3 day walk up and down 35 miles of the SW coastal path! Boosted by Merrill walking boots, Nordic poles and her seasoned walking companion Gill, Jane soon learned to plod slowly up the steep bits and understood even sooner the true meaning of the contour lines on the ordnance survey maps!!

Thankfully no accidents reported - and they managed to avoid being shot at as they were diverted round the MOD rifle practice!

Jane's walk raised over £4,500 which is a huge achievement. Well done aunty Jane!!

UPDATE - 19.01.15

Jane's Coastal Challenge:

My very supportive Aunt Jane has decided to walk 35 miles along the toughest section of the South West coastal path from Charmouth to Weymouth in 72 hours! This is a punishing and hilly route which includes the Golden Cap - the highest point on the South coast. 

Good luck Jane - fingers crossed that the wind is kind to you!

UPDATE - 10.01.15

Christmas cards:

Having sold out of Christmas cards at the end of November, another batch had to be printed! 

Calculations suggest that we sold approximately 4,000 cards including both direct sales and online purchases via the Brainstrust shop. Final figures are not in yet, but 

we believe we have raised over £1,500 - a big thank you to everyone who bought cards or helped to sell them.

UPDATE - 23.11.14

Christmas Cards are here!

Our wonderful Christmas cards have now arrived and are available directly from us, or online at the brainstrust shop.

They’ve been kindly designed by Dan Walters and Claire Coles and every penny from each sale goes directly towards our fund. They’re A6 in size and come in packs of 10 with envelopes for only £4.

UPDATE - 28.09.14

Juliet's big climb up Mont Blanc - She made it!

All my thanks to Jules for making it up Mont Blanc and raising over £2,000. A massive thank you to everyone who sponsored her amazing feat!

UPDATE - 31.08.14

Please sponsor Juliet's big climb up Mont Blanc!

My close (and mad) friend Juliet has set herself the challenge to scale Mont Blanc in September 2014. She has kindly chosen to support my cause through doing this remarkable trek. GOOD LUCK JULES! 

My aim is to raise £50,000 to secure the funds for the next two years of my ongoing brain cancer treatment.

In November 2012 I developed a severe headache which would not go away and I was diagnosed with a large brain tumour called an Astrocytoma which had gone undetected and without any symptoms for approximately seven years.

I underwent an emergency six-hour operation while I was awake, which took a number of months to recover from. The biopsy identified my tumour as aggressive and malignant. As a result of this I then had daily high-dose radiotherapy for six weeks at the start of 2013. This was physically and emotionally draining, not least because I lost all my hair. Four months after my radiotherapy I returned to work as a teacher.

Research and more importantly treatment, for Astrocytomas is very limited and the NHS can offer me no further treatment and will only do regular monitoring via MRI scanning. I have been told that the tumour will grow back, or try to in the next few years.

At 33 years old I feel too young to give in to this disease. Through independent research and second, third and forth opinions I have discovered an immunotherapy vaccine treatment, which is only available in Hungary and the USA. While the vaccine is still at the trial phase, patients who have taken it so far have reported improvement in their disease stability and prognosis. There are no guarantees of success with this experimental treatment, however at 33 years old I feel that it is worth my best shot.

This immunotherapy treatment is very expensive and not available in the UK, so I will need to raise £50,000 to secure the funds for the first two years of the treatment. For this reason, I have set up my More Than Hope Just Giving page, in the hope that my family, friends and anyone else who is able to, will help me either through sponsored events, fund-raising or in any other way they can to help me to reach this financial target.

Thank you for any support you can give and please remember to Gift Aid your donation!