Chancellor throws charity lifeline but what about medical research?

Arsalan Ali

2 min read

Brain Tumour Research welcomes the Chancellor’s statement which will see cash injections totalling £750m to help keep struggling charities afloat during the coronavirus pandemic. The announcement will see grants paid to charities providing key frontline services during the crisis.

It is great news for the third sector and we understand why the focus is on such organisations. But, writing in today’s Daily Express, Brain Tumour Research Chief Executive Sue Farrington Smith is posing what will become of charities such as ours which play a vital role in raising awareness around causes of unmet need, delivering seed funding for research and, importantly, giving hope to so many?

Her Opinion Piece reads: “As a relatively small charity, Brain Tumour Research is facing a 50% drop in its annual income over the next three months – this equates to £2m.

“The threat to charitable research funding impacts on the Government’s own cancer strategy, Life Sciences strategy, Long Term Plan and the NHS and NICE. It would therefore make sense for the Government to make a one-off grant to charities such as ours, to support us during this period.”

Brain Tumour Research will continue to work with organisations such as the National Council for Voluntary Organisations and the Association of Medical Research Charities to ensure the voice of charities such as ours is heard.