This September, more than 1,500 of our dedicated supporters joined forces across the country to raise funds to find a cure for all types of brain tumour.
Walk of Hope 2024 took place on Saturday 28th September in London, Torpoint, Ellesmere, Motherwell, and Chatsworth House – as well as dozens of DIY walks and a rescheduled Luton Walk of Hope, due to flooding, on Saturday 19th October.
We’re extremely thankful to everyone who turned up, organised, donated, and otherwise helped in continuing the success of our incredible annual event.
Together, we raised more than £230,000!
The London Walk of Hope took place at Paddington Recreation Ground, where army Major Marc Wilding (below left) was stepping out to raise awareness with a large group of family and friends. The 50-year-old was diagnosed with two incurable glioblastoma (GBM) and, despite a devastating prognosis of just 18 months, was in high spirits – even getting his face painted!
Marc said: “The money we are raising can hopefully go a long way for all the researchers hunting for a cure.”
Our Supporter Ambassador Sam Suriakumar (above right) was also in attendance. Living with a glioma, and having already lost his grandma to a brain tumour, Sam is a massive inspiration to all of us at Brain Tumour Research. After giving an impassioned speech at the event, Sam said: “It felt as though we were all connected. I felt the support of every single person and I left the event feeling a sense of hope.”
Becky Waghorn (above, second from right) was walking with her family following a brain tumour diagnosis 15 years ago: She said: “My tumour was successfully removed 10 years ago and I’m absolutely fine now – probably the healthiest I’ve been in a long time. They found my tumour after I had a grand mal seizure which left me with epilepsy – that’s the lifelong side effect of it. I’m here with three of my four children and my son’s friend, who sadly lost his sister to a brain tumour this year.”
Our Torpoint Walk of Hope offered plenty of gorgeous vistas to walkers on the south coast. We’re also grateful to Plymouth Boat Trips, who donated £1 for every Cremyll Ferry user who wore a Walk of Hope t-shirt!
More than one hundred people took part in the Luton Walk of Hope to honour the memory of Amani Liaquat. The 23-year-old passed away in 2022, after which her parents Yasmin and Khuram set up Fundraising Group Fight4Hope. Khuram said: “Amani started the first Luton Walk of Hope to bring a community together and raise awareness about the urgent need for more investment into brain tumours.
“Just five months after that walk, Amani tragically passed away, but we are continuing her fight.”
There were a number of DIY Walks in the south this year. The Power of David walked through Epping Forest in memory of 39-year old father David Hetherington. In Oxfordshire, Albie and Beyond raised money in memory of two-year-old Albie Bayliss-Watts and, in Buckingham, our very own co-founder and former Chief Executive, Sue Farrington Smith, held a walk at Padbury Hill Farm.
Ellesmere, Shropshire, saw the second Walk of Hope in memory of Ella McCreadie, a local 13-year-old who passed away in her sleep from an undiagnosed high-grade diffuse glioma. Ella’s Army was started by her parents, Sophie and Alastair.
Their hard work has already raised over £30,000 in two years.
In the heart of the Peak District, supporters at the Chatsworth House Walk of Hope enjoyed fantastic views across a variety of terrains – and a variety of dogs, too!
Meanwhile, our Fundraising Group Tay’s Tribe completed their own walk in Leicestershire to remember Taylan Kurtul. The six-year-old passed away in February this year from an aggressive medulloblastoma which cruelly stole his ability to walk and talk. His parents, Laura and Toygun, said their only focus now is to build a legacy for Tay.
Further north, Blackpool saw a DIY walk organised by Zara’s Appeal for a Cure – set up by Zara Taylor before her death from a GBM at the age of 33. Zara had previously taken part in Walk of Hope, as well as other fundraisers such as 10,000 Steps a Day and 26 Miles in May.
In the valley of the River Clyde, our Motherwell Walk followed a 6km route through Strathclyde Country Park – complete with silly hats and a conga line!
Our gratitude goes out to everyone who took part in a Walk of Hope this year.
Brain Tumour Research is extremely grateful for the donations you have made and the awareness that you managed to raise of this devastating disease. Your efforts bring much-needed hope to brain tumour patients and their loved ones through some of the toughest periods of their lives.
If you took part in a Walk and still have offline funds to pay in, please do so as soon as possible. The sooner we receive those funds, the quicker we can invest them to find a cure.
For more ways to support the vital work we do, please click here.
Related reading:
- Andover soldier living with tumour raises £9k for charity – Andover Advertiser
- Our Fundraising Groups
Published Tuesday 26th November 2024.