As you may know my best mate, Iain Twigg, died on 7 December 2014 following a brief battle with an aggressive brain tumour.  In Twigg's memory and to raise funds for the Brain Tumour Charity, I will be running the London Marathon on 26 April 2015.

For those of you who don't know Twigg, do take a minute to have a look at this website which was set up in the days after he died (https://itsbeenquality.wordpress.com). Hopefully, this will give you an idea of the kind of guy Twigg was and the extent to which he touched many people's lives.

More children and adults under 40 die of a brain tumour than from any other cancer and 2% of all deaths in people under 60 are from brain tumours. However there are huge variations in tumour types and brain tumours receive just 1% of national spend on cancer research. Therefore, for the 9,500 people in the UK diagnoses with a brain tumour each year, only 18.8% survive beyond 5 years, compared with an average of 50% across all cancers. Unlike most cancers, incidences of diagnosis and deaths from brain tumours are increasing. 

Here is some information from the Brain Tumour Charity about what they do. Further information is at their website (www.thebraintumourcahrity.org):

The Brain Tumour Charity is at the forefront of the fight to defeat brain tumours and is the only national charity making a difference every day to the lives of people with a brain tumour and their families.  We fund pioneering research to increase survival and improve treatment options.  We raise awareness of the  symptoms and effects of brain tumours to get earlier diagnosis and to help families cope with everything that the diagnosis of a brain tumour brings.  We provide support for everyone affected so that they can live as full a life as possible, with the best quality of life.

We are committed to having the biggest possible impact for every person affected by a brain tumour, to defending the most amazing part of the human body, so that getting the diagnosis of a brain tumour no longer means a death sentence. We believe that fighting brain tumours on all fronts through research, awareness and support is the only way to save lives, reduce long term disabilities and help everyone with a brain tumour and their families cope with everything that the diagnosis of a brain tumour brings.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.