During Small Charity Week, we are shining a spotlight on the vital role of grassroots organisations. Our Member Charity, Ali’s Dream, stands as a powerful example of what determination and community spirit can achieve. This month marks 25 years since the charity was founded in memory of seven-year-old Alison Phelan – and in that time, it has raised more than £1 million to fund research into childhood brain tumours and bring hope to families affected by brain tumours.
Ali’s Dream was established just three weeks after Alison died from a diffuse brainstem glioma (commonly known as a DIPG), an aggressive and incurable brain tumour. Launched on 25th June 2001, on what would have been her eighth birthday, the charity was created by her family and community, united by a shared determination to change the future for other children.
Since then, Ali’s Dream has funded 10 pioneering research projects focused on developing kinder treatments and improving outcomes for young patients. Its impact has also been instrumental in shaping the wider research landscape, helping to establish Brain Tumour Research in 2009 and contributing to the launch of the first Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence in 2010.
At the heart of this progress is Alison’s aunt, Sue Farrington Smith MBE, known to many in our community as the Co-Founder and former Chief Executive of Brain Tumour Research, whose tireless campaigning helped unite 14 charities to create a national voice for change, driving forward urgently needed investment in research. Sue now continues to support the Charity as Ambassador.
With a current £250,000 investment funding postdoctoral fellow Sophia Klonou (pictured below with Sue) at the Centre of Excellence at Queen Mary University of London, Ali’s Dream continues to push research forward, as well as continuing Alison’s legacy in the growing hope for kinder, more effective treatments and, ultimately, a cure.
Our CEO, Dan Knowles, said: “Alison Phelan’s legacy is truly extraordinary. From the devastating loss of a seven-year-old girl came a movement that, just eight years later, helped to establish Brain Tumour Research.
“We are incredibly proud of our long-standing relationship with Ali’s Dream and deeply grateful for everything this remarkable Member Charity has achieved – and continues to achieve – in changing the story for children diagnosed with brain tumours and their families.”
If the work of Ali’s Dream has inspired you, do consider making a donation, giving Ali’s Dream as your comment, or sign up to fundraise.
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