Our History
As a charity, we have undergone rapid expansion in the past few years, following the merger of the Brain Tumour UK, Samantha Dickson Brain Tumour Trust and the Joseph Foote Trust. Our work is inspired by Samantha and Joseph, who sadly lost their lives to a brain tumour, and every person who has been affected.
In 2020 we merged with Meningioma UK, consolidating our resources in a drive to improve services and outcomes for everyone affected by a brain tumour.
In 2015 we launched ‘Defeating Brain Tumours’ – our ambitious strategy to unite the brain tumour community in the pursuit of our shared vision: a world where brain tumours are defeated.
Brain tumours are the biggest cancer killer of children and adults under 40. We’re committed to having the biggest possible impact, for everyone affected by a brain tumour in the UK. Find out more about some of the people behind The Charity, including our Trustees, our Senior Leadership Team and our Young Ambassadors.
Also find out how we are tackling brain tumours, with our five-year strategy, Living Longer and Better. This defines our priorities over the next five years, as we aim to create a world where brain tumours are defeated.
In this section
Recommended reading
We’re raising the benchmark
We’ve been recognised as Charity of the Year 2018 for our pioneering approach, innovative research solutions and, above all, our community-centred approach to everything we do.
How The Brain Tumour Charity started
The Brain Tumour Charity is the result of the coming together of several other charities, all designed to tackle brain tumours.
In 1996, after Neil and Angela Dickson lost their 16-year-old daughter to a brain tumour, they established The Samantha Dickson Brain Tumour Trust. A year later, the United Kingdom Brain Tumour Society was founded. And, in 2001, the Joseph Foote Trust was founded.
These charities operated autonomously, though there was some collaboration. In 2001, The Samantha Dickson Brain Tumour Trust and United Kingdom Brain Tumour Society co-funded a three-year research programme.
In 2010 the Joseph Foote Trust merged with Brain Tumour UK, which was the new name of the United Kingdom Brain Tumour Society, having changed its name in 2004. Then in 2013, Brain Tumour UK merged with the Samantha Dickson Brain Tumour Trust and The Brain Tumour Charity was born.
The Brain Tumour Charity 2013-2020: United and growing together
The merger of the Samantha Dickson Brain Tumour Trust, Brain Tumour UK, and the Joseph Foote Trust meant we were able to combine these charities’ resources and efforts and begin to grow as one.
In 2013 we reached the milestone of 100 supporter groups. We also held the first Twilight Walk, which is our flagship event – a walk attended by the brain tumour community and those who support our cause in order to raise awareness.
In 2014 our collaborative effort with The Lewis Moody Foundation was launched. This was also the year that we launched our research strategy, A Cure Can’t Wait.
In 2015 we launched Defeating Brain Tumours: 2015-2020. This strategy aimed to double the survival and halve the harm done by brain tumours. We also had our HeadSmart campaign, started by the Samantha Dickson Trust, included in the five year cancer strategy for England. Along with this, we published Losing Myself: The Reality of Life with a Brain Tumour, the largest and deepest study to date into day-to-day life with a brain tumour. And, our founders, Neil and Angela Dickson, were awarded the MBE.
Between 2016 and 2020 we continued to work hard to drive change. And, we saw some promising results. Our HeadSmart campaign helped reduce childhood brain tumour diagnosis from 13 to 6.5 weeks. We were also able to award our biggest grant to date – £5m – to the Everest Centre for Research into Paediatric Low Grade Brain Tumours.
During this time, we developed work with Baroness Tessa Jowell to ensure a commitment that 5-ALA, or ‘the pink drink’, would be used nationally to help surgeons remove brain tumours. We also gave £2.8m to help found the Tessa Jowell BRAIN MATRIX, an adaptive research environment that could provide infrastructure for future clinical trials. And, in 2020, the Tessa Jowell Centres of Excellence initiative was launched, which recognises UK medical centres that offer excellent brain tumour treatment.
We also merged with Meningioma UK in 2020, allowing us to work more efficiently for those affected by a meningioma brain tumour.
2021 onwards: Accelerating towards cures for brain tumours
In 2021 we launched our new strategy, Accelerating a Cure: 2022-2027. This focused on creating new knowledge, accelerating new treatments, and enhancing quality of life. And, we were off to a good start.
2022 saw us reach the milestone on £100m since the foundation of The Charity, helped largely by our best year to date, having raised £11.5m. This was also the year that we launched our Better Safe Than Tumour campaign, created to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of brain tumours in adults and children, and which has been used by over 100,000 people.
In 2023 we launched our new community-created strategy, entitled Living Longer and Better: 2023-2030. We also established a free counselling service for anyone affected by a brain tumour and launched our Paediatric Improving Brain Tumour Care surveys, which helps lead to six centres receiving Tessa Jowell Centres of Excellence for Children accreditation. This was another record year in terms of fundraising, with our income reaching £12.7m.
In 2024, we managed to fundraise even more, raising £14m. This year we also called for a National Brain Tumour Strategy, delivering an open letter to Government signed by more than 52,000 people. And, thanks to research we funded, and our involvement in the appraisal process, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) approved dabrafenib and trametinib to treat childhood gliomas. We also launched new Translational Awards, which will provide funding of up to £2.2m to support the early-phase development of potential new diagnostics, drugs or devices.