Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Call for Scots to sign brain tumour research petition

SNP MP Ian Blackford
SNP MP Ian Blackford

People across the north and north-east are being urged to sign a petition calling for more funding for brain tumour research in a drive to reach 100,000 signatures.

An inquiry by the House of Commons petitions committee was triggered once 14,000 had added their names.

There are now more than 30,000 signatures and if the 100,000 target is hit, the petition will be considered for debate at the UK parliament.

It highlights the lack of government investment in researching brain tumours which kill more children and adults under 40 than any other cancer.

In spite of that statistic, the disease receives just 1% of the national spend on cancer research.

The appeal comes days after the parents of Peterhead teenager Emma Sim described the lack of funding as “unbelievable”.

She died less than two years after being diagnosed with a brain tumour and her family want her legacy to be a campaign aimed at raising awareness of the condition.

Ross, Skye and Lochaber MP Ian Blackford, who is on the petitions committee, said it was important to let the public know this forum exists.

He added: “The petitions committee is a great example of democracy in action and I hope people will use this platform as a way of highlighting issues, engaging with parliament and potentially influencing or bringing about change.

“It’s responding to the kind of initiative that works well in the Scottish Parliament.”

Among those who have given evidence to the inquiry is Sue Farrington Smith, chief executive of Brain Tumour Research, and the family of Stephen Realf.

A trainee pilot with the RAF, he died aged 26, six years after being diagnosed with a brain tumour. The petition was started by his sister Maria Lester in August, a year after her brother’s death.

Caroline Critchlow, from Orkney, and Carolyn Toshney, from Aberdeen, whose husbands are both living with brain tumours, have also travelled to London to share their stories, as reported by the Press and Journal last month.

Ms Farrington Smith appealed to people to join the charity in its fight to secure airtime in parliament.

She said: “We need 100,000 signatures by February 3 for the issue of lack of funding for brain tumour research to be considered for debate by parliament.”

If that is achieved, the issue would be in the running for a slot in Westminster Hall, the Commons second chamber.

To view the petition, visit https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/105560