A student from York running the length of Britain in memory of his father has received support from Brain Tumour Research Patron Alfie Boe, who also lost his father to a brain tumour.
Rafe Colman-Chadwick, 20, a Politics and Social Policy student at the University of York, met the award-winning tenor in Manchester on Friday 3 July after completing around 360 miles of his extraordinary 874-mile challenge from John o’ Groats to Land’s End.
Rafe is fundraising for Brain Tumour Research in memory of his father, Damian Colman, who died from a glioblastoma – an aggressive and incurable brain tumour – in September 2018 at the age of 48. Alfie was just 23 when he lost his own father, Alfred Boe, to an aggressive brain tumour and has since become a patron of the charity, campaigning for greater investment into research.
Rafe said: “Meeting Alfie was emotional for me because he truly understands what it’s like to lose your dad to this cruel disease. Doing this run is part of my healing and grieving, turning it into positive action. We are calling for change. Research into brain tumours simply doesn’t receive the same level of investment as many other cancers.
“Every mile I run is for families who have faced this disease and lost a loved one, and for those who will face it in the future. I hope we can help raise awareness as well as reach my £10,000 fundraising target for Brain Tumour Research.”
Brain tumours are indiscriminate; they can affect anyone at any age. Around 3,200 people are diagnosed with a glioblastoma in the UK each year, yet just one in three patients survives for more than a year following diagnosis.
Rafe began his challenge on 4 June and is running the equivalent of a marathon every day as he makes his way towards Land’s End, where he hopes to finish on 15 July. Having already covered more than 360 miles, he has battled fatigue, changing weather conditions and the physical demands of running day after day, driven by his determination to honour his father’s memory and help fund vital research.
Damian first experienced symptoms in 2016 after suffering a seizure before scans discovered he had a glioblastoma. Despite undergoing surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, he died two years later. Alfie’s own experience of losing his father almost three decades ago has made him a passionate supporter of the charity and its campaign to increase investment into research for brain tumours.
Alfie said: “It was a pleasure to meet Rafe. He’s an incredibly inspirational young man whose determination and courage are remarkable. Losing his father to a brain tumour at just 12 years old is something no child should have to experience, yet he’s turned that heartbreak into a challenge that will make a real difference for others.
“Everyone at Brain Tumour Research is grateful for the commitment and strength he’s shown in taking on this extraordinary challenge. I hope Rafe’s story inspires others to support the charity’s work and help fund the research that patients and families so desperately need.”
Rafe previously ran the London Marathon in 2024 to raise funds for the charity and has already raised more than £10,000 – enough to fund more than three days of research at a Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence.
At the charity’s Centre of Excellence at the University of Nottingham, scientists are using artificial intelligence, advanced imaging and genomic techniques to better understand recurrence in glioblastoma, the same type of tumour Damian was diagnosed with.
Ashley McWilliams, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: “Rafe’s determination has already inspired so many people and it was incredibly special to see him meet our patron Alfie, someone who understands first-hand the devastating impact brain tumours have on families.
“Their shared experiences are a powerful reminder of why more investment into research is urgently needed. Every mile Rafe runs and every pound raised brings us one step closer to finding better treatments and, ultimately, a cure.”
Brain Tumour Research funds sustainable research at dedicated centres in the UK. It also campaigns for the Government and larger cancer charities to invest more in research into brain tumours in order to speed up new treatments for patients and, ultimately, to find a cure. The charity is the driving force behind the call for a national annual spend of £35 million in order to improve survival rates and patient outcomes in line with other cancers such as breast cancer and leukaemia.
Supporters can follow Rafe’s journey on Instagram at @rafe_colman_chadwick and TikTok at @rafecolmanchadwick.
To donate to Rafe’s UK Run, go to https://www.justgiving.com/page/runuk
About brain tumours
One in three people in the UK knows someone affected by a brain tumour. This disease is indiscriminate; it can affect anyone at any age. What’s more, brain tumours continue to kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer yet, to date, just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease since records began in 2002.
Brain Tumour Research is determined to change this.
A powerful campaigning organisation, Brain Tumour Research is the leading voice of the brain tumour community. Unique and much needed, it is the only national charity focused on finding a cure for all types of brain tumours. The charity is campaigning to increase the national investment in research into brain tumours to £35 million per year, while fundraising to create a network of seven sustainable Brain Tumour Research Centres of Excellence across the UK.
Help fund the fight. Together we will find a cure.
Key statistics on brain tumours:
- Brain tumours are indiscriminate; they can affect anyone at any age
- Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer
- Just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours since records began in 2002
- One in three people in the UK knows someone affected by a brain tumour
- Each year, nearly 13,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with a primary brain tumour
- More than 100,000 people in the UK are estimated to be living with a brain tumour or the long-term impact of their diagnosis
- Every day, 35 people in the UK are diagnosed with a primary brain tumour
- Brain tumours kill more children than leukaemia
- Brain tumours kill more women under 35 than breast cancer
- Brain tumours kill more men under 70 than prostate cancer
- In England, you are four times less likely to survive five-years following a primary brain tumour diagnosis compared to the average for all cancers
- There are more than 100 different types of primary brain tumour making them notoriously difficult to diagnose and treat
- In England, nearly 40% of brain tumour patients are diagnosed in emergency care when their symptoms have developed more significantly
Please quote Brain Tumour Research as the source when using this information. For verification and further facts and statistics, please refer to our website. We can also provide case studies and research expertise for the media.