The aims and objectives of Brain Tumour UK are very close to my heart following the deaths of two of my brothers due to aggressive gliomas.  Robert was 59, Richard 66 and both died within a period of six years, each surviving for less than 15 months after diagnosis.

It is with this background that I feel I want to help Brain Tumour UK to grow its work to ensure my brothers’ and our family’s experiences are not repeated by others.  I believe there is much to be done to increase the general awareness of brain tumours which in turn should help to grow new support groups and strengthen those already existing. A greater public awareness will also lead to opportunities for more successful fundraising and so mean more money for research.

As chair of the charity I shall rely on my journalistic and business experience gleaned  through a long career in broadcasting to assist Brain Tumour in achieving its ends. 

Fred is a retired Chartered Accountant and has worked extensively within both the public and private sectors. He therefore understands the need to manage the business of delivering essential personal services with a blend of commercial efficiency and public accountability.

Born in Chester, Fred spent the first part of his career in local authority services, including health and social services. Following the opening up of the public sector market to private accounting firms in the early 1980s, he was recruited by Deloitte Haskins & Sells to lead their development of this market throughout the UK and internationally.

In 1990 Fred set up a public sector-focused consultancy to provide a range of financial and management advice.

Fred is married and has four grown up children and lives in Formby where he assists with local community services. He enjoys walking in the Lakes and Switzerland and visits to the theatre.

Elizabeth is Head of Service for Cancer and Palliative Care at NHS Lothian University Hospitals Division in Edinburgh. Elizabeth is a neurosurgical nurse by profession, having trained at Guy's Hospital, London & Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge. She was enthusiastic to become a trustee of Brain Tumour UK as a result of reading our newsletter, Target.

She hopes to contribute to the success of the charity through communication and improved services for patients and their families. "I have a desire to ensure that patients and their families receive the optimum care and treatment regardless of location in the UK, borne out of personal and professional experience in the speciality. I hope that my breadth of NHS experience and network of contacts will prove useful to Brain Tumour UK and I look forward to driving the charity forward to achieve its aims."

Angela is a solicitor and widow with 2 grown up sons running her own business "For 25 years everything was going swimmingly when my husband was struck down with a brain tumour very malignant (grade 4) which took his speech away then his mobility and finally his sight There was very little information I could find about brain tumours and my GP had never dealt with one so it was a steep learning curve. I amassed as much information I could about brain tumours while caring for my husband. I now want that information (and correct information) to be there for all patients and carers. without the battling!" As a lawyer (LLB), Angela hopes she can contribute.

She looks for the time when these tumours can be cured. She would like the charity to grow so that the public are aware of the condition of brain tumours and wish to contribute to finding a cure. She is passionate that all patients are treated with dignity and are given the full facts

Following a referral by an alert optician, my brother, Edward, was diagnosed with an astrocytoma brain tumour at the age of 10. Four years on, and after three operations, two rounds of chemotherapy, a course of radiotherapy and a brush with meningitis, he continues with his recovery and is now back at school part-time.

Family support was vital in getting through our difficult time, as was the the support of local groups and national organisations. I was unaware of Brain Tumour UK or the work that they did; it was only through a magazine in the hospital that I discovered a charity dedicated to support the sufferers of this type of illness and the advancement of treatment and research – once I knew about it I had to be involved!

I have joined the board of trustees to be in a position to accomplish two key goals:
1. To further the development and research into brain tumours to enable more effective diagnosis and treatment;
2. To enable effective and meaningful support to patients, families and carers impacted by the effects of a brain tumour.

As a trustee, I look forward to helping to continue the excellent work the charity has done to date, and to achieving the goals above and many, many more besides.

Sam is head of development at the National Council for Palliative Care. She manages the team at head office whilst fundraising and developing partnerships in order to increase the effectiveness of the organisation and develop more equitable palliative care services.

Anyone who has been close to one of the 49 people who are told every day that they have a brain tumour, knows how devastating this news can be. It is probably a little known fact that there are more people dying now from brain tumours than ten years ago; and more children die from a brain tumour than any other childhood cancer.

My motivation for joining Brain Tumour UK was not one of personal involvement – I chose this charity purely due to the nature of the conditions, their impact on sufferers and the highly professional and successful operation of the charity.

My working life has revolved around the pharmaceutical industry; I have worked within several pharmaceutical companies, where I was responsible for provision of medical information to healthcare professionals (including highly technical data relating to oncology products) and assisted in the management of clinical trial programmes.

I have also worked extensively in the sector which provides services to the pharmaceutical industry, notably marketing research, business intelligence and benchmarking. Most recently, I was managing director of one such small company, so I intend now to channel my business experience, as well as my industry knowledge, towards the achievement of all of Brain Tumour UK’s aims.

A few years ago, I had a health scare when it was thought that my constant headaches and dull aches in my head might possibly be caused by a tumour. After a scan, I was, thankfully, given the all clear, but for the period of time it took to get this diagnosis, I was a bag of nerves.

I see my role as Trustee as primarily one of education, alerting people to the work of Brain Tumour UK so that they need not be in fear and can share their concerns with those who have lived through such experiences themselves or with a loved one. I am a local councillor and my professional background is in public affairs and communications; the skills I have developed for over 20 years I wish to devote in increasing our profile.