Lottery gives BIG boost to brain tumour support service

Almost £250,000 has been awarded by the BIG Lottery Fund to create the UK’s largest ‘one-stop shop’ for brain tumour support. The money will go to the Hampshire-based Samantha Dickson Brian Tumour Trust (SDBTT http://www.braintumourtrust.co.uk) – the UK’s largest brain cancer charity – and will be used to provide enhanced patient support services for the 6,500 people diagnosed with the disease in the UK each year and their families and carers. Paul Carbury, Chief Executive of the trust, said: ‘We are delighted with the award from the Big Lottery Fund. The funding will enable us to significantly expand our services for the benefit of children and adults who have been diagnosed with a brain tumour. The project will enable thousands more people to get access to our services so we can improve outcomes for patients.’ Carly Hornbuckle, whose daughter Bella aged 5 has been diagnosed with a brain tumour, was equally enthusiastic: ‘The support provided to me by the Trust has been fantastic – I got a lot out of speaking to them while I was waiting for Bella’s scan results during a very traumatic time. It’s great news that this grant will enable the Trust to support many more families who are going through the same experiences as we are.’ The £236,977 will pay for additional staff, information, educational roadshows, website development, volunteers, training and evaluation to provide a co-ordinated approach and to significantly expand existing patient support services. Brain tumour patients and their families, parent representative groups and health professionals will all benefit from the revised programme. Many advantages of the new, co-ordinated SDBTT service include: • Working with health professionals to improve support for families • Improved quality of life for patients and their families • Support for schools, teachers and groups where a child in attendance has a brain tumour • A central resource for clinical trials information • The provision of comprehensive information on different tumour types and treatments • Up to date information on the latest research breakthroughs • Plans to extend the opening hours of the existing helpline and email service. The project will be delivered from the charity’s headquarters in Hampshire and through 60 umbrella groups across the country.

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