Thank you so much to everyone who has helped me raise £12,112 since I retired as Chief Executive of Brain Tumour Research on 30th June 2023, due to my abdominal cancer diagnosis and treatment in September 2022. Well, I am now entering a new chapter as an Ambassador for Brain Tumour Research having stepped down as Trustee and Vice Chair on 31st July 2025. I felt it was time to let go, look after myself and devote more time to my other passions – my family and my church.

However, my fundraising won’t stop, having raised enough to place tiles on the Walls of Hope at four of our Centres of Excellence – my next target is to raise £5,480 to place tiles on the Walls of Hope at our Scottish Centre and the University of Nottingham – so I need to get to £16,440 with your help :-).

My first tile was placed on 18th September 2023 at the launch of our Centre at ICR where they are researching to advance treatments for the deadliest of childhood cancers - DIPG - the type of brain tumour that took away my beloved niece Alison Phelan three weeks before her eighth birthday on 7th June 2001.

The next at our Centre at Queen Mary University, London. They are also undertaking research into children's brain tumours along with studying glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) brain tumours, the most aggressive and most common primary high-grade tumour diagnosed in adults. Thank you to all who helped me achieve this on 21st December 2023 - a wonderful Christmas present.

On 3rd July 2024, during our holiday in the South-West, I was able to place my third tile at our University of Plymouth Centre, the UK’s leading specialist research centre for low-grade brain tumours. Whilst low-grade brain tumours are usually slow growing some can start to grow more rapidly, transforming into high-grade or malignant brain tumours. By understanding the mechanisms in the development of low-grade brain tumours, the researchers can explore ways to halt or slow their growth. With my own abdominal cancer being low-grade - this resonates even more with me now, as you can imagine.

I plan to place my fourth tile at Imperial College which is working to improve the diagnosis and treatment of adults with high-grade glioma, including glioblastoma (GBM), the most common primary high-grade brain tumour in adults. The Centre has an outstanding ‘Convergence Science’ research programme that brings together researchers from a wide range of disciplines, leveraging their unique skills to answer scientific and clinical questions that will improve patient survival.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time in both founding and growing the charity, incredibly fulfilling years. I am very proud of all we achieved under my leadership. Brain Tumour Research developed into a national charity, raised £43 million, established five pioneering Brain Tumour Research Centres of Excellence and became the leading voice for the brain tumour community in parliament and the media.

Thank you to everyone who has supported and continues to support my fundraising efforts during my retirement - please don’t stop.

Together we will find a cure.

Sue xx