Wiltshire friends who both had brain tumours take on challenge

The pair of friends are hoping to raise £25,000 for charity

A man who was told he would not live much beyond 40 is marking his 50th birthday with a charity challenge.

Gavin Burden, 49, from Salisbury, was diagnosed with a brain tumour at 21.

Having recently been given good news about his prognosis he is taking on a 25km walk with a friend who has also recovered from a brain tumour.

In a recent consultation Mr Burden was told he had "more chance of being bit by a bus" than of dying because of his tumour.

Mr Burden, a carpenter, has lived with his tumour for 28 years after being first diagnosed in 1995.

He lost 70% of his sight 20 years ago, in an unsuccessful operation to have the tumour removed.

He said: "I remember going up for a header at football and I just thought I don't know if I have seen the ball, is there a ball? Or did I see three of them?

"I had been suffering for two-and-a-half years with quite severe daily migraines, and they found a small lump in the brain."

Gavin was first diagnosed with the tumour when he was 21

Every day in the UK, 34 people are diagnosed with a brain tumour, yet changes in survival rates have barely improved in 40 years compared with other cancers, according to The Brain Tumour Charity.

Investment in research is low and diagnosis is still taking much too long, the charity says. 

Mr Burden said he had been avoiding finding out how he was doing "for years" as he "didn't want to know the answers" until his recent good news which he said was a "wow" moment.

To celebrate he has decided to walk 25km along the Thames Bridges Trek for The Brian Tumour Charity on 14 September and he is asking for 48 people to join him.

Already planning to walk alongside Mr Burden is his friend Louise Worthington, who was diagnosed in 2018 with a brain tumour.

They are also hoping to raise £25,000 for the charity and have so far raised almost £5,000.

Louise said she wasn't expecting to still be here when she was first diagnosed with a brain tumour

She said: "I used to teach aerobics at the leisure centre in Salisbury. I would suddenly go numb down one side of my face, and it would almost drop a bit.

"It all came to a head one night in Salisbury in the pub when I had a massive seizure.

"Its those awful words when you get told you have a lump in your brain.

"I'm like - 'a lump in the brain what on earth do you mean?'."

Ms Worthington, a dental hygienist, had her tumour successfully removed six years ago, but has to have MRI scans every two years to check it has not grown back.

Brain Tumour Charity spokesperson Anoushka Baker said: "Gavin and Louise are so inspiring, they are so positive and they both have been through such difficult journey's, it just shows hope and inspiration."

Ms Worthington said: "There is a lot of hope after you get that diagnosis, I thought it was the end but it's not.

"To go on this walk - I didn't think I'd be here but I am."