Advertise on podcast: Let's Talk About Brain Tumours

Beth got in touch with us after listening to Clare's episode of the podcast on mental health.  Here, she chats with Anna about the things that have helped her cope with scanxiety, going back to work as a teacher, and communicating with her loved ones since her diagnosis 11 years ago.  Need a listening ear, you can contact our Support Team by calling 0808 800 0004, by using the web chat on our website or by emailing [email protected] If you have any questions about this episode of the podcast, or would like to share your story or some helpful information, email [email protected]

In this episode, Andy and Jo interview our youngest guest on the pod so far: nine-year-old Oliver Smith. Oliver, a keen triathlete, set out to raise funds for The Brain Tumour Charity in January 2026 by running the equivalent of nine marathons in four months.  Little did he know then that this would lead to him running with his local MPs, meeting Joe Wicks, completing London's Mini Marathon, being interviewed on TV, going to a film premiere AND meeting his film idols.  On 30 July he was treated to The One Show's 'One Big Thank You'. This episode is his backstory.  You can read his story on our website here and visit his fundraising page here. Need a listening ear, you can contact our Support Team by calling 0808 800 0004, by using the web chat on our website or by emailing [email protected] If you have any questions about this episode of the podcast, or would like to share your story or some helpful information, email [email protected]

Coping with a brain tumour diagnosis brings huge challenges - from the shock of diagnosis to the anxiety of waiting for scan or test results, to relationships issues, physical changes and financial pressures.  These can be especially overwhelming for teenagers and young adults who are already navigating their education and growing independence. That’s where people today's guest comes in. Dr Clare Jacobson is a Specialist Clinical Psychologist in a Teenage and Young Adult Cancer Service. Using imagery and analogies, she shares some practical tips that she uses, and that has learned from those in therapy, that we can all put into practice to support our mental health.  You can follow Clare on Instagram here And see some of her video tips on our website here.  Need a listening ear, you can contact our Support Team by calling 0808 800 0004, by using the web chat on our website or by emailing [email protected] If you have any questions about this episode of the podcast, or would like to share your story or some helpful information, email [email protected]

A marathon episode for marathon reasons! 136 people are taking part in the TCS London Marathon 2026 to raise funds for The Brain Tumour Charity.  We are hugely grateful to every single one of them - but couldn't possibly interview them all. So, some of our Involvement Champions chatted to some of our runners to find out their reasons for running - and we've edited excerpts from those conversations to create this inspiring listen.  TW: Bereavement and loss discussed. We hope it does them justice - and maybe some runners will listen to this very episode as they run round. You can read a feature about some of this year's runners on our website by clicking here and find out about how to register for the 2027 event here.  Good luck to everyone taking part and to all their supporters cheering them on too! Need a listening ear, you can contact our Support Team by calling 0808 800 0004, by using the web chat on our website or by emailing [email protected] If you have any questions about this episode of the podcast, or would like to share your story or some helpful information, email [email protected]

If you or a loved one have spent - or are planning to spend - hours searching online for treatment options or clinical studies into potential new brain tumour therapies, this episode is for you. If you're a scientist aiming to recruit people to a study, it's also for you. Professor Susan Short explains how her brainchild Access to Clinical Trials for Brain Tumours (ACT-BT) aims to lift the burden off the individual and speed up access to clinical trials for adult brain tumour patients.  ACT-BT is a pilot project funded by The Brain Tumour Charity with patient involvement overseen by brainstrust. It also aims to collect valuable data to inform and ensure progress for this community.  Find out more here: https://www.thebraintumourcharity.org/news/research-news/access-to-brain-tumour-clinical-trials/ Need a listening ear, you can contact our Support Team by calling 0808 800 0004, by using the web chat on our website or by emailing [email protected] If you have any questions about this episode of the podcast, or would like to share your story or some helpful information, email [email protected]

Serious illness is a serious business. That’s why so many of us are determined to raise awareness of the urgent need to fund research to find more effective treatments, and for every patient – no matter where they live – to have access to the best possible care.  But people have told us that, in some circumstances, trying to find something to laugh about in a situation – usually dark humour – can have its place as a coping mechanism. The podcasts The Dead Sibling Society and The GlioBabes, and books like 'Pear-Shaped' by Adam Blain, and 'A Heart That Works' by actor Rob Delaney all feature a sprinkling of funniness amid the rage and despair. There's even a  Comedy Cures Foundation.  We discuss this with our supporter, the actor and comedian Miles Jupp. He explains how putting his meningioma diagnosis in the spotlight during his stand up tour helped both him and others. And podcast co-host Andy says he wishes he'd heard an episode like this when he was first navigating the same diagnosis.  Need a listening ear, you can contact our Support Team by calling 0808 800 0004, by using the web chat on our website or by emailing [email protected] If you have any questions about this episode of the podcast, or would like to share your story or some helpful information, email [email protected]

We're delighted to be joined by Dr Scott Arthur MP for this special episode. Dr Arthur put forward a Private Members' Bill for rare cancers and on Thursday 5th March 2026, it went onto the statute books - becoming the Rare Cancers Act.  Listen in to find out more about what motivated a very new MP to get behind this particular cause; how 40 different organisations collaborated to make it a reality - though fate played a part; what happens next and how weekly runs and volunteering aide Scott's wellbeing. You can read more about the background to the Rare Cancers Bill here.  Need a listening ear, you can contact our Support Team by calling 0808 800 0004, by using the web chat on our website or by emailing [email protected] If you have any questions about this episode of the podcast, or would like to share your story or some helpful information, email [email protected]

Dr Tyler Miller was one of our Future Leaders. Now a Junior Fellow, he manages a team of 12 at his own lab.  Here he explains how this team is trying to figure out how to prevent our own immune cells from suppressing our immune system. Instead, he aims to turn part of a brain tumour's immune system - myeloid cells - into an effective army of immune agents that can both kill tumour cells and attract new recruits, like the T-cells Mat mentioned, to target the tumour. You can read more about this here Need a listening ear, you can contact our Support Team by calling 0808 800 0004, by using the web chat on our website or by emailing [email protected] If you have any questions about this episode of the podcast, or would like to share your story or some helpful information, email [email protected]

Welcome to a new series of very short episodes of The Brain Tumour Charity podcast in which you’ll get to know key people in the brain tumour community.   The first part of the series is called Meet The Researcher and it's based on a webinar we hosted in 2025 that was all about immunology.   We’re kicking it off by introducing you to someone who’s trying to figure out how our body’s natural defence mechanisms can help fight the aggressive brain tumour glioblastoma.   You can find out more about our Future Leaders programme and Dr Mat Clement's work here. We wish him the best of luck with the incredible work he's doing.  Need a listening ear, you can contact our Support Team by calling 0808 800 0004, by using the web chat on our website or by emailing [email protected] If you have any questions about this episode of the podcast, or would like to share your story or some helpful information, email [email protected]

At a reception in Westminster on 15th December, The Brain Tumour Charity released its report into the cost of a brain tumour diagnosis. The report makes the economic case for a National Brain Tumour Strategy to minimise these costs - both to the individual and to society. We unpick this report with Marcus Loney-Evans, Head of Policy and Campaigns at The Charity. You can read the full report here. Need a listening ear, you can contact our Support Team by calling 0808 800 0004, by using the web chat on our website or by emailing [email protected] If you have any questions about this episode of the podcast, or would like to share your story or some helpful information, email [email protected]

The Brain Tumour Charity has released its report into the staggering cost of a brain tumour diagnosis to the UK economy. The report makes the economic case for a National Brain Tumour Strategy to minimise these costs - both to the individual and to society.  In part one of this episode, Anna unpicks some of the report's findings with Kimberley, who's living with a brain tumour diagnosis and Rhiannon, who's caring for her son following his ill-health. They discuss the impact on their own finances.  In part two, Chandos interviews Marcus - Head of Policy and Campaigns at The Charity - to dig deeper into the report's finding's. To find out more, you can download a copy of the report on the charity's website. Thank you for listening.  Need a listening ear, you can contact our Support Team by calling 0808 800 0004, by using the web chat on our website or by emailing [email protected] If you have any questions about this episode of the podcast, or would like to share your story or some helpful information, email [email protected]

Hosts Anna and Andy mark two years since Dr Michele Afif became Chief Executive at The Brain Tumour Charity by asking about her early life, her previous careers in medicine and law - and a few more questions that we crowdsourced from our listeners.  In response, Michele explains how she's focused The Charity on turning its co-created strategy into a 'strategy in action'. She's honed in on what it needs to deliver, what evidence backs that up and how it can deliver truly transformative results.  She describes it as asking the question: "How do we push one or two big boulders up the same hill rather than hundreds of boulders up hundreds of hills?" Michele also talks about her proudest moments, her biggest challenge, The Charity's imminent plans and the advice she'd give her younger self.  And if you have any questions for Michele or The Charity, you can email [email protected] Need a listening ear, you can contact our Support Team by calling 0808 800 0004, by using the web chat on our website or by emailing [email protected] If you have any questions about this episode of the podcast, or would like to share your story or some helpful information, email [email protected]

In this episode, we'll hear from four of our much-valued Involvement Champions : Rebecca, Oriana, Claire and Mark. We recorded their presentations to the whole organisation as they explained why they wanted to become key voices in the  brain tumour community.  (Trigger warning, they talk about diagnosis and mental health issues, and their stories are very moving.) Then our host Anna Blyszko - a former Young Ambassador herself - quizzes The Brain Tumour Charity’s Involvement Manager, Rachel Roberts, about what exactly our Involvement Network aims to achieve and why we've launched a new initiative called The Listening Project. If you're interested in becoming an Involvement Champion, recruitment for the next cohort begins in late summer 2025. You can find out more here. Need a listening ear, you can contact our Support Team by calling 0808 800 0004, by using the web chat on our website or by emailing [email protected] If you have any questions about this episode of the podcast, or would like to share your story or some helpful information, email [email protected]

After weeks of toil and training, The TCS London Marathon 2025 is just around the corner and The Brain Tumour Charity has 145 runners taking part this year - more than ever before!  Our Involvement Champion Imelda Turnock speaks to two of them - Barbara Prodger and David Barrow - about their reasons for running. But first, Andy Tudor gets some insider tips from our man at JustGiving.  Sam Gurry delves into the data to explain how anyone taking part in a charity challenge can maximise their fundraising. From personalising your story to the optimum number of times to post about your challenge on social media, to gamifying fundraising and incentivising donors - we get the low down. If listening to this sparks an interest in taking part in one of our events, you can find them all listed here. Hosts: Andy Tudor and Imelda Turnock. Audio editors: Jo Porter and Elliot Broad Producer: Jo Porter Need a listening ear, you can contact our Support Team by calling 0808 800 0004, by using the web chat on our website or by emailing [email protected] If you have any questions about this episode of the podcast, or would like to share your story or some helpful information, email [email protected]

Our focus in this episode is on friendships and close bonds. How does a brain tumour diagnosis affect our loved ones and who can we turn to for support or advice when we don’t want to worry or upset those closest to us?    To answer that question, Andy Tudor talks to five women who were all treated at the same hospital for the same meningioma diagnosis but who only met through one of The Brain Tumour Charity’s online peer support groups. They describe that group as "invaluable", "a lifeline" and as "each other's aftercare."  What's more, four of them have teamed up to take on The Twilight Walk together on 22 March - roping in some of their relatives too! Their efforts will mean The Charity can continue to fund things like our support services as well as much needed research into brain tumours. This is the Brighton Brain Aches fundraising page. We'd also like to the thank the Puzzle Bored Cafe in Brighton for allowing us to record this episode in their Quiet Room.  Audio Editor: Elliot Broad Producer: Jo Porter Contact: [email protected] Need a listening ear, you can contact our Support Team by calling 0808 800 0004, by using the web chat on our website or by emailing [email protected] If you have any questions about this episode of the podcast, or would like to share your story or some helpful information, email [email protected]