I can’t thank everyone enough for all of your messages, support and hugely generous donations. I’m not sure yet what the total raised for Emily’s fighting fund is but it has exceeded £75,000.  Emily would have been overwhelmed. 

A tough ride yesterday but well worth it. 

Thank you all so much.

Tim 

After the bravest of fights, Emily passed away on Monday 15th July. Never did she complain; never did we give up hope.

Rebecca Curley very kindly wrote the following article a week before she died and I don’t think I could explain why I am riding this year better than she has :

“He is leader of Surrey County Council trying to transform the lives of over one million people.

But Cllr Tim Oliver is also a dad fulfilling a promise to his youngest child. 

For when he is not in the council chamber Cllr Oliver has been spending the past few weeks at the Princess Alice Hospice in Esher where his youngest daughter Emily is receiving end of life care. 

And he has promised to do all he can to help raise awareness of her mission - to fund more research into finding treatment and cures for the rare brain tumour she was diagnosed with last year.

Emily was diagnosed in January 2018 with a glioblastoma brain tumour - a rare and aggressive type of tumour with little known cures or treatments.

She set out to raise funds for The Brain Tumour Charity to provide hope and help and on her 21st birthday in October last year launched a campaign - Emily Oliver's Fighting Fund.

Cllr Oliver, who is taking part in the Prudential Ride London-Surrey 100 sportive cycling event next month to raise money and awareness of the campaign, said as a family they are doing all they can to promote the need for vital research.

Son James will also be taking part in the charity ride.

Since her diagnosis, Emily and the family have gone to see medics in America and Germany for trial treatment - taking advice from the family of Dame Tessa Jowell who died in May last year from brain cancer. 

But nothing has worked and Emily was admitted to the hospice eight weeks ago. 

Cllr Oliver added: “All the way through this illness she has fought hard. We tried to look at getting her home, but the hospice thinks she is better looked after in that environment.”

Before Easter Cllr Oliver spoke to his daughter about taking part in the cycle ride and promised her he would do all he could to raise awareness of her campaign for more research into brain tumours. 

He added: “Her level of awareness is very limited but we talk to her a lot. She was aware I was going to do the cycle ride this year and this is what she wanted us to do - to raise the profile.”

Emily’s fundraising page has so far raised over £28,000 since it started last October. 

Cllr Oliver added: “People ask why I still do the council thing, but it’s because I genuinely want to try and make a difference and help - particularly for the most vulnerable and young in our society. I have first-hand experience. 

“This type of cancer is the biggest killer of under 40’s for any form of cancer. It’s massive.”

Cllr Oliver has taken part in the ride before - last year riding for Shooting Star children’s hospice where bosses have recently spoken about the struggles they face funding all the care needed. 

He added: “Hospices are massively underfunded and rely on charitable donations. I’m determined to try and get some proper funding for them from the Government. The care Emily is receiving is unbelievable. But it’s funded by charity.”

Cllr Oliver will be riding with son James in the Prudential Ride London-Surrey 100 sportive on Sunday (August 4). 

For more information about the campaign and to donate to Emily Oliver's Fighting Fund visit https://www.thebraintumourcharity.org/get-involved/our-supporter-groups/supporter-groups/groups/emily-olivers-fighting-fund/