BTA Leighton Buzzard Fashion Show a SELLOUT!
March is Brain Tumours Awareness Month, and BTA is getting off to a grand start with our Fashion Show at Leighton Buzzard Golf Club on the evening of Friday 5th March. Organized by BTA’s Home Counties Representative Nicole Witts and her team of volunteers, the show features fashion from Daisie Lane, make-up demonstrations from Clarins, styling by Sculptors and a display of lingerie!
The occasion sold out within days, and is being supported by Andrew Selous MP, Leighton Buzzard TV, Essentials Beauty, St Jude’s Clinic, Lloyds Skincare and Makeup and guests will be entertained by 2008 X Factor contestants Ladies With Soul.
Thanks go to Michelle Cottingham, everyone at Leighton Buzzard Golf Club, and Lincoln Design and Print.
March 3, 2010
Posted in: News from BTA 
Wear a Hat to Work for Brain Tumours
"Wear A Hat To Work" in March 2010 and raise money for research
Brain Tumour Action is partnering with the umbrella group charity Brain Tumour Research and other member charities to use the month of March 2010 to raise awareness and funds for brain tumour charities. We are hoping that everyone will join us to wear a hat on a date in March and help us with this campaign.
The impossible can be achieved
In the UK, five year survival for leukaemia is now 80% compared to 20% thirty years ago and in most cases there is a cure. This is because of the sterling work done by charities such as Children with Leukaemia and Leukaemia Research with the support of celebrities like Gary Lineker to raise awareness and funds for research into leukaemia. The impossible has happened, families are seeing loved ones beat the disease and live much longer than they would have ever dreamed possible.
Brain tumours are sometimes called a Cinderella disease, because so little is known about them. This means they are also forgotten when it comes to allocating funds for research. Yet, more children and people under the age of 40 die of a brain tumour than leukaemia or any other cancer and five year survival is still only 14%.
Can you help?
Would you, your workplace, club or organization consider having a ‘wear a hat’ day to help us with our brain tumour awareness month in March? Would you consider asking people to wear a hat and bring in a pound or two on any day in March to suit you? If you want to do more than this we would be delighted. Here are links to four posters and a guide to running your Wear A Hat Day:
Guide To Running Your Own Wear A Hat Day
Please note that Poster One and Poster Two are intended for use in schools, and Posters Three and Four are designed for the workplace.
Monies raised will be split between Brain Tumour Action and Brain Tumour Research. Cheques to be made payable to Brain Tumour Action (we will forward monies to Brain Tumour Research).
If you can help in this way we would also love you to send any photos from the day to upload to our website. Please contact me on administrator@braintumouraction.org.uk
February 15, 2010
Posted in: News from BTA
Why it can be hard to convince the professionals
The Press Association reports a case in which a worried mother was able to convince her child’s doctors to agree to a brain scan – but only after a fortnight of multiple appointments and the child’s worsening illness.
Carly Hornbuckle was told four-year-old daughter Bella Flint’s condition was nothing serious. But the worried 25-year-old did her homework online and realised Bella could be suffering from a brain tumour. After finally convincing doctors of the seriousness of her condition, a brain scan revealed a tumour the size of a golf ball. Bella was suffering from Medulloblastoma – a brain tumour found in the cerebellum, which controls movement and balance.
There are two issues here that will be familiar to parents of children with brain tumours:
- Many GPs come across brain tumours rarely, if at all.
- Informed parents face an uphill struggle to convince medical professionals that their concerns are valid and ought to be listened to.
Bella Flint’s mother did the most important thing of all – keep going. Bella’s scans revealed the truth about her illness, but getting that far took persistence and the courage to seek a second opinion: that all-important second opinion secured Bella’s referral to Leicester Royal Infirmary for tests, and, ultimately, the scans.
You can read more about Bella and Carly’s experiences, and keep up to date with her condition, at the Tinkerbella’s Wishes website.
February 9, 2010
Posted in: News from BTA
Raise Funds for Brain Tumour Action When You Search Online
Do you search the Web? Did you know you could be raising funds for Brain Tumour Action with easysearch, a search engine with a difference!
When you search the Web with easysearch instead of Google or any other search engine, you’ll raise funds for us with every search you make. It’s completely free to use and if you make just 10 searches a day, you could raise around £20 a year for us, just by searching with easysearch. That’s right! Simply search the Web and raise funds – what could be easier?
What’s more, easysearch is a ’super’ search engine that combines the strengths of several search providers together – Yahoo!, Ask.com, Bing and many more. This unique approach to searching means that easysearch can track down the most relevant and accurate results from across the Web, so you’ll find what you’re looking for quickly and easily every time – all in one ‘easy’ search.
It is such a simple way to raise funds for us so please set our unique easysearch page – http://bta.easysearch.org.uk – as your homepage and use it every time you search the Web. Please spread the word to your family and friends and ask them to support us too.
Or just use the search box in the right-hand sidebar every time you visit our site.
November 15, 2009
Posted in: News from BTA
Raise Funds for Brain Tumour Action When You Shop Online
Easyfundraising is a shopping directory listing some of your favourite online stores, including Argos, Next, Amazon, Debenhams, John Lewis, Toys R Us, HMV and over 2000 other top name stores. Whenever you shop with any one of them using the links provided on the Easyfundraising site, you’ll generate a free donation for us of up to 15% of the purchase price every time! It really is that simple!
It’s completely FREE to register and you won’t pay a penny more for your shopping when you use the easyfundraising site. In fact you can even SAVE MONEY as many retailers give discounts, special offers and even ‘e-vouchers’ exclusive to Easyfundraising.
You can shop for holidays, flights, electronics, mobile phones, computing equipment, food, wine, pet supplies, finance, insurance and much more – and every purchase you make will raise funds for us at absolutely no cost to you!
All you need to do is register for free at http://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/bta and use easyfundraising every time you shop online.
November 15, 2009
Posted in: News from BTA
Dr Richard Simpson MSP marks International Brain Tumour Awareness Week
Thanks and congratulations to Dr Richard Simpson MSP for placing the following motion before the Scottish Parliament today:
S3M-5082 Dr Richard Simpson: International Brain Tumour Awareness Week and World Walk—That the Parliament notes that 1 to 7 November 2009 is International Brain Tumour Awareness Week; recognises the work in Scotland in developing the managed care network; congratulates the record number of 176 brain tumour and cancer-related organisations that have supported the International Brain Tumour Alliance’s week and walk this year, and also notes that, with dozens of events planned and a combined total of 150,598 walking kilometres achieved to date, they are in sight of the World Walk target of 200,000 kilometres, equivalent to going round the world at the equator five times.
October 30, 2009
Posted in: News from BTA
Royal Society of Medicine Symposium 11 November 2009
Every three years, the Royal Society of Medicine holds a one-day symposium on research and management of Brain Tumours. Following the success of the 2006 event, the next one will be held on 11th November 2009 at the Society’s headquarters, 1 Wimpole Street London. Click here for full details.
Topics to be examined include:
- cancer stem cells
- the origins of astrocytomas
- molecular and imaging biomarkers
- the development of new treatments
- advances in radiotherapy and radiobiology
- the management of cerebral metastatic disease
- advances in paediatric neuro-oncology
- developments from the NICE Improving Outcomes document
Key advances in research and treatment of brain tumours
October 30, 2009
Posted in: News from BTA
Can You Help Antisense Pharma’s Sapphire Study?
If you, or someone you know, has been diagnosed with recurrent or refractory anaplastic astrocytoma, and would like to take part in a Phase III trial to compare trabedersen (AP 12009) with standard chemotherapies, then Antisense Pharma would like to hear from you.
Phase III trials are large, multi-centre trials which aim at achieving a definitive assessment of a drug’s performance compared with the “gold standard” existing treatments. They are the last trials to take place before a drug is submitted to regulatory bodies for approval.
You can read Antisense Pharma’s full-length account of the trial by clicking here.
Details on how to apply for enrollment into the study can be read by clicking here. This page also includes the relevant email address at Antisense Pharma for applications.
You can download Antisense Pharma’s official press release about the trial by clicking on the following link:Â antisense_pm_sapphire_fach_en (you will need either Adobe Reader or Foxit Reader on your computer to open the file. Most computers will already have one or the other installed, but follow the links if yours does not).
September 14, 2009
Posted in: News from BTA
Medicine and Me Patients Conference – “Living With Pituitary Disease
The Royal Society of Medicine is holding another of its series of “Medicine and Me” conferences designed specifically for patients on Monday 12th October 2009. It’s called “Living With Pituitary Disease” and it’s a real opportunity for patients, families and carers to meet leading experts, catch up with the latest developments, ask important questions, discover services they may not have known about, access support and share their experiences.
Most of the audience will be made up of patients and their friends, families, carers and advocates, and a third of the audience will consist of doctors, specialist nurses and others involved in treatment and care of Pituitary disease.
If you book before 14 September, there are discounted “early bird” fees available of £25 for the whole day.
You can find all the details about the conference, including a list of all speakers and full programme, by clicking here.
August 25, 2009
Posted in: News from BTA
An Evening of Excellence at the Neurosupport Centre, Liverpool
Neurology nurse Sarah Kelly is organising an Evening of Excellence to raise public awareness of the Neurosupport Centre in Liverpool.
The Neurosupport Centre supports individuals and their families who have been affected by neurological conditions, including brain tumour, including courses and classes alongside a host of other vital support services.
So often, patients and carers do not access the services they need simply because they haven’t heard of them. Sarah is setting out to make sure that as many people as possible know about the Neurosupport Centre so that those that need its help can come along.
The Evening of Excellence will feature  Art, Words and Music – celebrating the work of members of NeurosLife’s various Art groups. It will show how NeuroLife helps to increase the confidence and health of people with neurological conditions and it will say a big thank you to the members of NeuroLife’s art classes for the the creativity they have brought to Neurosupport.
Put the date and the place in your diaries, as it promises to be a marvellous evening:
An Evening of Excellence
Thursday 17 September 2009
6.00-7.30pm
The Neurosupport Centre
Norton Street
Liverpool
L3 8LR
August 25, 2009
Posted in: News from BTA
