The Neurological Alliance of Scotland runs courses to prepare adults with different neurological conditions AND carers to get involved in planning and improving their local health services. They will be running  ‘Taster’ sessions in NHS Dumfries & Galloway:

Stranraer: Wednesday 29^th Feb, 1.30-3.30pm, Library,

Dumfries: Thursday 1^st March, 10.30-12.30pm, Aston Hotel,

Lockerbie: Thursday 1^st March, 2.00-4.00pm, Somerton Hotel

and Neurological Voices Training in NHS Ayrshire & Arran (full course, 3 half-days)

Thursdays 15^th, 22^nd, 29^th March, 10.30am-1.30pm, Dumfries.

See Neurological Voices for further details.

Training in Ayrshire & Arran, Forth Valley and Tayside has been well received and a neurological Voice, Gill Bedwell, will speak about the project at the upcoming Brain Awareness event in the Scottish Parliament on 14^th March.  Hope to see many of you there.

Thank you so much for the tremendous support for our charity received through the sales of  The Herald Calendar. We really enjoyed meeting Caleb and his family in Glasgow and sharing in the photo shoot.

Caleb with The Herald Cheque. Photograph by Martin Sheilds.

Caleb and Stephanie Duffy with Tim Blott, Managing Director of The Herald, and Staff from Brain Tumour Action.

Sales of The Herald’s 2012 calendar, which showcases the best of Herald readers’ photographs, raised more than £9000 for Brain Tumour Action.

Cate Devine reports in “The Herald”:

The final sum of £9025.80 has now been handed over to Brain Tumour Action, which will help fund research into how low-grade brain tumours develop in children.

Brain cancer kills more children and young adults than any other form of cancer, though as yet there is no child-specific research ongoing in Scotland.

Brain Tumour Action, the only brain tumour charity registered in Scotland and the oldest in the UK, was chosen by The Herald for its fundraising campaign following its story last November about the plight of eight-year-old Caleb Duffy, of Shotts, North Lanarkshire, who has a rare form of tumour called a craniopharyngioma close to his pituitary gland, at the centre of his brain.

He was diagnosed following a visit to the local optician, as he was having severe headaches and his parents thought he might need glasses. Doctors at the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow were able to remove 75% of the tumour but he needed radiotherapy to shrink the remaining part.

The NHS in Scotland can only offer Photon therapy for this, which is risky because it can affect the developing part of the brain. Proton therapy, which is more precise but much more expensive, is only available in the US.

Caleb was lucky enough to be offered treatment at the Proton Therapy Institute in Jacksonville, Florida, under a special scheme operated by the NHS. His condition is now being monitored at Yorkhill Hospital.

His mother Stephanie told The Herald: “We are delighted with the money raised for further research into child brain tumours, and it’s good that we could be involved in some small way. Hopefully we have also helped raise awareness of how many children are affected by brain tumours. We are glad this money will go towards helping other children like Caleb, and we would like to see a Proton therapy unit in Scotland.

“Our family’s experience has made us realise you can’t look too far ahead. We are taking things one day at a time. We have met the most wonderful people along the way, and encountered the greatest kindnesses.”

His father Sean said: “Thanks to Brain Tumour Action there is a wealth of online information about brain tumours, but there is no research fundraising here in Scotland that I’m aware of. Brain Tumour Action have Scotland at heart and have set up a network of support groups across the country, but it’s a shame there’s no child-specific research ongoing here.”

Lynne Barty, secretary of Brain Tumour Action Scotland, said: “We are absolutely thrilled with the success of The Herald calendar. This is a major contribution from a single fundraising campaign.

“We are already supporting a highly significant research project in London into low-grade paedriatric brain tumours and the money raised by Herald readers will go into that, unless we can find a specific project for craniopharyngioma.

“We would love to see further research into paedriatric brain tumours in Scotland. However, one year of research can cost up to £60,000, which means it’s a very expensive business.”

Time:

Second Thursday of each month from 11.00am to 1.00pm. Starting October 11th 2012.

Contact:

Sue Wreglesworth

Tel: 0771 7175 236

Email: sue.wreglesworth@braintmouruk.org.uk

Location:

The Octagan,

Walker Street,

Hull, HU3 2RA

]]> http://www.braintumouraction.org.uk/2012/07/hull-support-group/feed/ 0 http://www.braintumouraction.org.uk/2012/07/nottingham-brainwaves-support-group/ http://www.braintumouraction.org.uk/2012/07/nottingham-brainwaves-support-group/#comments Tue, 31 Jul 2012 20:25:41 +0000 admin http://www.braintumouraction.org.uk/?p=1183 A support group for patients diagnosed with brain tumours is provided by a three-way partnership of Queens Medical Centre Clinical Nurse Specialists, Brain Tumour UK and Brain Waves.

Time:

Second Wednesday of each month , 12.00 to 2.00pm. No meeting in July and August.

Contact:

Sue Wreglesworth

Tel: 0771 7175 236

Email: sue.wreglesworth@braintmouruk.org.uk

Location:

Maggie’s Centre Nottingham,

Gate 3 Nottingham City Hospital Campus,

Hucknall Road

Nottingham, NG5 1PH

]]> http://www.braintumouraction.org.uk/2012/07/nottingham-brainwaves-support-group/feed/ 0 http://www.braintumouraction.org.uk/2012/07/burton-and-south-derbyshire-support-group/ http://www.braintumouraction.org.uk/2012/07/burton-and-south-derbyshire-support-group/#comments Tue, 31 Jul 2012 20:09:43 +0000 admin http://www.braintumouraction.org.uk/?p=1181 A support group for patients diagnosed with brain tumours is provided by Brain Tumour UK in collaboration with the Clinical Nurse Specialist, Derby Royal Infirmary.

Time:

Third Friday of the month, 4 times per year, February/June/August/November in 2012,

from 12.30 to 2.30pm.

Contact:

Sue Wreglesworth

Tel: 0771 7175 236

Email: sue.wreglesworth@braintmouruk.org.uk

Location:

Voluntary Services Centre,

Union Street, Burton-on-Trent,

Staffordshire, DE14 1AA.

Time:

Second Monday of each month from 3.00 to 5.00pm. No meeting in December.

Contact:

Sue Wreglesworth

Tel: 0771 7175 236

Email: sue.wreglesworth@braintmouruk.org.uk

Location:

The Seminar Room,

The Deanesley Centre. New Cross Hospital,

Woverhampton, WV10 0QP

Time:

Third Monday of each month from 12.00 to 2.00pm. No meeting in December.

Contact:

Sue Wreglesworth

Tel: 0771 7175 236

Email: sue.wreglesworth@braintmouruk.org.uk

Location:

The Education Centre,

New Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham,

West Midlands, B15 2WB

Time:

Fourth Friday of each month from 11.00 to 1.00pm. No meeting in December.

Contact:

Sue Wreglesworth

Tel: 0771 7175 236

Email: sue.wreglesworth@braintmouruk.org.uk

Location:

The Hamar Help and Support Centre,

Royal Shrewsbury Hospital,

Shrewsbury, SY3 8HQ

Time:

First Friday of each month from 12 to 2.00 pm. No meeting in December.

Contact:

Sue Wreglesworth

Tel: 0771 7175 236

Email: sue.wreglesworth@braintmouruk.org.uk

Location:

BASIC (Brain and Spinal Injury Centre),

554 Eccles New Road,

Salford, M5 5AP

Time:

Second Tuesday  of each month from 7.00 to 9.00pm. No meeting in December.

Contact:

Sue Wreglesworth

Tel: 0771 7175 236

Email: sue.wreglesworth@braintmouruk.org.uk

Location:

The Education Centre,

The Christie NHS Foundation Trust,

Wilmslow Road, Manchester, M20 4BX