Beatrice Wishart, MSP (Member of Scottish Parliament) for the Shetland Islands, has vowed to continue campaigning for increased awareness and research funding for the disease.
The 69-year-old Shetland native has supported Brain Tumour Research since her daughter Louise (below middle) was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2012. Beatrice said: “Louise had suffered with debilitating migraines for many years, but on New Year’s Day she became seriously unwell. When I went to check on her, she wasn’t speaking properly, and I honestly thought she’d had a stroke. It was terrifying.
“Due to staff shortages, and as there wasn’t an MRI scanner in Shetland at the time, it took a few days before she was flown to Aberdeen. That’s when we were told it was a brain tumour. Your whole world falls apart when you hear those words, especially when it’s your child.”
In 2024, two years after Louise faced a second round of brain tumour treatment, Beatrice played an instrumental role in establishing the Scottish Parliament’s Cross-Party Group on Brain Tumours, to which Brain Tumour Research provides the secretariat. She has also sponsored a Wear A Hat Day event in Holyrood, as well as attended the launch of the Scottish Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence, in her continuing quest to find a cure. Her impact and promise has been noted in news across the UK, including STV News, Express and Star, South Wales Guardian and The Northern Echo.
Beatrice’s recommitment to Brain Tumour Research comes after her announcement in February that she would stand down at the 2026 Scottish Parliament election. She said: “When I came into Parliament, I realised that I could use that platform to do something positive to try to raise awareness and improve outcomes. Just because I’m stepping back doesn’t mean I’ll stop fighting for this cause.
“Brain tumours have had a profound impact on my family, and I know we are not alone. I will keep doing whatever I can to push for change. I'm proud of what was started in the Scottish Parliament, and I know the Cross-Party Group will continue to carry that work forward. Only together will we find a cure for this devastating disease.”
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