Gobeyond Partners are proud to pledge support for Brain Tumour Research for 2022, after a colleague’s family member was diagnosed with the disease.

We’ve kicked off a year-long partnership with the national charity, and will be starting by taking part in the 10,000 Steps a Day in February Challenge.

More than 80 colleagues voted for the philanthropic partnership after the wife of Management Consultant, Dafydd Hobbs, 39, suffered a relapse of her brain tumour.

Mother-of-two Charlotte Hobbs, from Penarth in the Vale of Glamorgan in Wales was first diagnosed with a grade 3 anaplastic astrocytoma in July 2010 after a seizure led to her being hospitalised at Heath Hospital in Cardiff and later diagnosed with a brain tumour.

Charlotte remained awake for the duration of her surgery and was asked to perform simple tasks, such as speaking and moving her hands, so the surgeon could avoid the parts of the brain that operate those functions.

Following the surgery, Charlotte received six weeks of radiotherapy at Velindre Cancer Centre in Cardiff. She was told by her oncologist that the tumour would return and she attended six-monthly then yearly scans to monitor its status. In October 2020 Charlotte was given the devastating news the tumour had returned and she would need another craniotomy, more radiotherapy and this time, chemotherapy as well.

Charlotte has raised more than £10,000 for the charity herself by taking part in 100 Star Jumps a Day in November, which she completed whilst undergoing chemotherapy.

Now, we’re doing our bit to help fund the fight by taking on a different fundraising challenge each month, which will include: Wear a Hat Day in March, Isle of Wight Randonnée in July, Walk of Hope in September, and even skydiving, in a bid to raise £13,700, which represents the equivalent amount it costs to fund five days of research at one of the charity’s five Centres of Excellence.

We’ll be kicking off the year of fundraising next month and encouraging employees to stomp 10,000 steps a day throughout February which could see them collectively walk more than 4,100 miles over 28 days.

Charity lead and principal consultant, Richard Davis, said:

“Gobeyond Partners is delighted to partner with Brain Tumour Research in 2022 to raise funds for critical research and help find a cure for this underfunded and indiscriminate cancer.”

Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer yet historically just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease.

Mel Tiley, community development manager for Brain Tumour Research, said:

“We were so sorry to learn about Charlotte’s brain tumour relapse and wish her all the best with her ongoing treatment. It’s incredible to see that her story has inspired Gobeyond’s partnership in fundraising and raising awareness and we look forward to working with the team.

“The best part of the 10,000 Steps a Day in February Challenge is that you can fit your steps in with your everyday life. That could be having a coffee and catching up with friends at your local park, walking your commute or school run instead of driving, getting off the bus a few stops earlier or walking around your house whilst on the phone. You could even team up with friends or colleagues and complete your steps together!”

To join the Facebook challenge group, go to www.facebook.com/groups/10000stepsadayinfebruary2022