Conquering phobias for charity
A fear of flying or heights, perhaps? How about venomous snakes - or giant spiders?!
Newly-appointed patron to national charity Brain Tumour Research, Olympic rowing champion Mark Hunter MBE and fellow guests rise to the challenge of getting up close and personal with creatures they fear the most for the official launch of a national campaign to raise £1 million to build a new ‘Centre of Hope' dedicated to brain tumour research.
The event - which takes place on Friday 30 August between noon and 2pm at Dartmoor Zoo - is being organised by Brain Tumour Research to launch its annual Conquer it Together campaign, taking fundraising to a new level by challenging people to raise money whilst conquering a personal fear or taking on a new challenge to realise a long-held ambition.
In addition to a wide range of exotic birds, big cats and other mammals, Dartmoor Zoo is home to reptiles and amphibians including the Red-tailed Boa, King Snake, Bearded Dragon, and Poison Dart Frogs.
Creatures of a smaller stature, but none-the-less daunting to many, include the Madagascan Hissing and Orange Headed Cockroachs, Chilean Rose Tarantula, and the Imperial and Asian Forest Scorpions.
Britain's first ever lightweight rowing medal winner, Mark Hunter has agreed to a close encounter with one of his main phobias: Snakes, one of the top 10 animals that have normally confident people running or trembling in fear.
"I am pretty fearful of all snakes, in truth," he says. "It's the way they move and suddenly pop up - it freaks me out!
While Mark usually avoids the reptile house when visiting zoos, he is ‘psyching up' for his close encounter with Dartmoor Zoo's boa constrictor.
"My involvement with Brain Tumour Research has introduced me to people facing bigger challenges than this. People diagnosed with brain tumours, yet living their lives as best they can with an intensity of courage and determination I have never encountered before," he says.
"Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer yet receive less than 1% of the national government spend on cancer research. That's simply unacceptable."
Dartmoor Zoo became the subject of the Hollywood film We Bought A Zoo starring Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson and now is fast-developing a reputation as a zoological and conservation research facility in its own right, working with 10 universities including Plymouth and Exeter.
For owner Ben Mee, brain tumours are a personal issue. Ben lost his wife, Katherine, at the age of 40 to a brain tumour shortly after buying the Zoo in 2006.
"It's a terrible disease with less than 19% of those diagnosed surviving beyond five years," says Ben. "Compare that figure with the 50% average taken across all cancers and it's very clear something needs to be done about it."
He may own a zoo but Ben admits to unsettled by the bird-eating tarantula. "That's why I am going to support Mark and rid myself of this fear at the launch of Conquer it Together," says Ben.
Locally-born Ann Widdecombe - former MP and Government Minister - joins Mark and Ben in supporting a cause to resolve serious under-funding for research into brain tumours in the UK.
"Treatments lag seriously behind other cancers and I am joining the call to government to extend the reach of the national cancer register to include all research grants and research work into all cancers across the UK, including brain tumours," she says.
On hand to discuss the wider implications of brain tumours and the status of research into the disease will be Professor Oliver Hanemann, Chair of Clinical Neurobiology and Director Institute of Translational and Stratified Medicine at the Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry at Plymouth University. Also available for comment will be Hugh Adams, Campaign Manager for Brain Tumour Research.
Support Mark, Ben and Ann by getting involved in Conquer it Together too - it's a great opportunity for friends, families, or teams of co-workers to embrace a challenge, be it mental or physical, whilst raising funds for Brain Tumour Research. You too can come to the zoo and get your friends and family to sponsor you to confront your own animal phobias (note there are limited numbers for the daily close encounters), or you could try banishing a die-hard habit or take on a sporting challenge, pushing yourself to new limits. The options are endless, but one thing is certain: You'll feel great afterwards for facing your fears and conquering it together!
Brain Tumour Research was launched in April 2009 to raise the awareness of and funding for scientific research into brain tumours and improve outcomes for brain tumour patients. It is the only national charity in the UK that is dedicated to granting 100 per cent of its funds to continuous and sustainable scientific research into brain tumours.
In collaboration with its member charities and fundraising groups, the charity jointly raised over £2.5 million in 2012 and Brain Tumour Research now supports an annual £1 million programme of research into brain tumours at a dedicated Centre of Excellence in the University of Portsmouth. Indeed, the charity has evolved to become a leading voice calling for greater support and action for research into brain tumours in the UK. Funding for this research has been woefully inadequate for far too long. By getting involved, you will be generating vital funds to establish a new Centre of Hope dedicated to research into brain tumours in 2013 and helping us move another step closer to finding a cure.
For further information about Brain Tumour Research go to www.braintumourresearch.org
