Its #WearAHatDay
The UK’s premier brain tumour awareness event is in its thirteenth year and over the years has raised more than £2 million – it’s always a great day with inspirational stories and great photos accompanying the stream of donations and money raised through fundraising activities. See what’s been going on through our social media pages and join in using the hashtag #WearAHatDay.
If you aren’t already taking part, and if you do just one thing to support us this year, then please make it doing something to support Wear A Hat Day.
Post your own hat photo on your social media pages, email your MP a photo and ask them to join in – or easier than that tag them on Twitter and ask them to support #WearAHatDay for @braintumourrsch
… and all the time asking for donations of course.
You could tag your favourite celebrity to see who might join us as we bring Brain Tumour Research into the national spotlight!
As most of you will know there will be a meeting of the APPGBT next week and I will upload the briefing document we write for attending Parliamentarians plus the meeting minutes as soon as I can after the meeting.
The bulk of the meeting will be reporting back on progress with the inquiry which this week heard oral evidence from scientists at the coalface of discovery science. Topics under scrutiny included research funding, research priorities, clinical trials and the barriers to a sustainable career in research. All of this under the expert guidance of Derek Thomas MP – who also managed to promote his dog walk for brain tumour awareness at the meeting too (see last week’s blog for details on that event).
In other campaigning work this week we are supporting a ‘10-Year Cancer Plan: Call for Evidence; One Cancer Voice Cancer Charities' Consensus Statement’ and also working as part of Cancer 52 to add our name to their evidence submission into the 10 year cancer plan. These two documents are still in draft form but our position will always be that there needs to be investment in research to understand more about the causes of some cancers with, where possible, specific mention made of brain cancer.
The work on wording of consensus statements, forming consultation responses and joining coalition feedback will fall to our Policy and Public Affairs Officer in due course and that position is currently open.
This is an exciting time to join Brain Tumour Research as we capitalise on the growth of the charity during the pandemic and are embarking on the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Brain Tumours - Pathway to a Cure Inquiry, which we are leading on in our role as secretariat.
Reporting to the newly appointed Director of Research, Policy and Innovation, the Public Affairs Officer will work with the Head of Stakeholder Relations to drive forward our manifesto for change: building capacity, accelerating treatments, and increasing the national investment in brain tumour research.
We wish to recruit an experienced, energetic, professional, hard-working, and hands-on individual to join our busy team and support the development and implementation of effective public affairs and campaigning activities, working across the team, regional Brain Tumour Research Centres of Excellence, member charities and activists to ensure we campaign with one voice and help drive change for brain tumour campaigners, patients and their loved ones.
The full job description is here
It is Mother’s Day on Sunday and we’re thinking of all the families affected by this devastating disease. Our thoughts are with the mothers who have received the life-changing news that their child has a brain tumour and those who have experienced the tragedy of losing a child to the disease. We’re thinking of the mums who are living with a brain tumour diagnosis and face an uncertain future whilst continuing to care for their family. And our thoughts are with all those who have lost their mum to a brain tumour.
However, you are spending this Mother’s Day, whether you’re remembering a loved one or spending it with someone living with a brain tumour, we’ll be keeping you in our thoughts.
To return to Wear A Hat Day to end with and at Wetherby Races on Tuesday the ‘Wear A Hat Day Supporting braintumourresearch.org Novices Hurdle’ favourite was named ‘Learntalot’ which seems an apt name for our charity as one of our core values is ‘Intelligence’. Learnalot was ahead of the field until near the end of the race and eventually finished second– a great effort, a leader, but not a winner yet – a metaphor for our campaigning work.
Wetherby Races are great supporters of Wear A Hat Day and this afternoon we are very pleased to be commenting on TV for BBC South alongside another great friend Steve Blake. Tune in if you are in the Solent area around 18:30 to see the report - unless of course the news agenda switches at short notice and this can happen.
We are pretty sure that we’ll be rounding off Wear A Hat Day 2022 by talking on BBC Three Counties radio alongside Mr. Motivator, who will be talking about his brain tumour research challenge starting in April.
Another month another campaign and soon it will be time for Wear A Hat Day again but in the year to come the inquiry will report back and we sincerely believe our community will make a significant statement and post a major milestone on the pathway to a cure.
Whether it is a hat selfie, a tweet, an email to your MP or a donation of whatever size, thank you for the part you are playing in walking that pathway with us.
Happy #WearAHatDay