We have recently been spending a significant part of weekends in dubious 90s-throw back exercise gear (at least on my part) training for the Paris marathon in April. I've only ever done half marathons before but a friend has managed to persuade me to run the whole hog this year in Paris. Somehow I managed to convince Jean-Philippe to run it with me and he has managed to increase from NO running to distances of 20+ miles in 3 months!! There have been many moments of wondering "Whyyyyy" so now to create a reason - and I have finally chosen a brain-tumour related cause to support (since I have mainly worked on research in this field for past 12 years).

The Molly Lane Fox Unit at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK is part of a comprehensive package of care for brain cancer patients. The 12-bed inpatient unit sits alongside a £14million advanced neuroimaging suite, a state-of-the-art imaging facility with three specialist MRI scanners and an interventional IMRI BrainSuite neuronavigation system. The BrainSuite provides an angiography, MRI and surgical facility – unique to Europe – and enables real-time scanning of the brain and spine during surgery to enable greater accuracy and better outcomes. It is the first "dedicated" brain tumour unit in the UK.

The National Brain Appeal, the charity that supports the hospital by funding clinical posts, cutting edge technology, infrastructure and research, has invested a total of £2.5 million in the unit and brain cancer service and £8 million towards the cost of the scanner suite.

More than 400 people used the unit in 2015 but demand for the unit has overgrown by 55% meaning more than half of patients are admitted to general wards and not able to access the unit.

The appeal is now raising money so that the Molly Lane Fox Unit can be re-located to an existing, but larger, space on the fourth floor of the hospital which is quieter and filled with natural light.

This will provide four bays with 24 beds, a quiet room and an assessment room as well as two single rooms with sofa-beds which can be used by those patients requiring a longer stay in hospital, with more complex needs or during end-of-life care.

Refurbishment work is due to start in June 2017 and complete within two months.

Please help us to support this cause :)