Couple to ask government for more brain tumour research funding

Penny Church said not enough progress had been made since her son's diagnosis

A couple whose son died from a brain tumour have travelled to Westminster to ask for more research funding.

Penny and Wayne Church, of Alvechurch, Worcestershire, have been working with the Brain Tumour Research charity and have raised £100,000 since Finlay was diagnosed.

Mrs Church wants research funding needs to be made a "critical priority".

She also said there had not been enough progress in research since her son's diagnosis nine years ago.

Finlay was diagnosed with a glio-blastoma, a tumour which forms in the brain or spinal cord and before his death, at the age of 11, he was also involved in fundraising.

Finlay Church was diagnosed with a glio-blastoma and died at the age of 11

Finlay's mother said she wanted the government to agree to more funding "in memory of Fin and all the other children and young people who are either fighting this disease or have lost their battle to this disease".

She added: "Naively we thought that there would be more child-friendly options and that [there] would be more treatment options for him; and it's nine years since he got diagnosed and sadly things haven't moved forwards."

Mr and Mrs Church will join other bereaved parents at an all-party parliamentary meeting to discuss future funding.