Broadcaster, author and entrepreneur Sarah Beeny is today (13th March) announced as our new Patron.
Sarah has supported Brain Tumour Research for more than a decade. She has taken part in multiple Wear A Hat Day and #ShineALight events, has been to Westminster on our behalf, and joined us for several webinars.
The presenter of Channel 4’s hit show Property Ladder, and more recently Sarah Beeny’s New Life in the Country, was just 10 years old when she lost her mum, Ann, to breast cancer that metastasised to her brain.
Tragically, Sarah’s stepmother, Patricia, also died of a brain tumour and, last year, she lost a close friend to the disease, too, just six months after diagnosis.
Sarah said: “I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2022, and I was terrified because of what happened to Mum. Fortunately, it hadn’t spread, so I was very lucky.
“The statistics for longevity of life following a breast cancer diagnosis are amazing now, but brain tumours have been left behind. It’s so important people talk about it and we get more research. I want research into brain tumours to get to the same place breast cancer is.”
This morning, Sarah joined our Head of Stakeholder Relations, Hugh Adams, on the BBC Breakfast sofa, to discuss her work with us and the vital need for more investment in research. Tonight, she will join us for a special anniversary gala dinner, where she will introduce our Impact Report – Closer to a Cure – 15 Years of Impact – which celebrates our 15 years of funding research and the game-changing advances we have achieved in this time.
Our incredible research breakthroughs are also outlined in a new film – narrated by Sarah and made by the team behind the documentary Sarah Beeny vs Cancer – which will be aired for the first time during the event.
Sarah said: “I’m proud and honoured to become a Patron for Brain Tumour Research. We have achieved amazing things over the past 15 years, and, with continued support, I have so much hope for what we will achieve in the future.
“Anyone who has been touched by brain tumours has a tragic story to tell, which was the same 30 years ago for those who got breast cancer. I would love it if, in my lifetime, we can achieve better outcomes for people with brain tumours.”
We are delighted to welcome Sarah to our Brain Tumour Research family and thank her for her continued support in helping to raise awareness in our quest to find a cure for all types of brain tumours.
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