Margaret's Dinner 2024

Be Part of Proving the Cure for Glioblastoma:

Join us at Margaret’s Dinner

On 26 June we are gathering for a fundraising dinner in my sister Margaret's memory on what would have been her 63rd birthday. She was diagnosed with a Glioblastoma brain tumour in November 2021 and died just 19 months later on June 24th 2023.

An extraordinary woman, she was the youngest and the first ever female General Secretary of the Labour Party. Her ambition was to run two General Elections in 1997 and 2001 which resulted in two full terms of a Labour Government, the only time that this has ever happened in Labour’s history.

There have been no improvements in outcomes for Glioblastoma patients for 30 years. There is currently no cure and very little available treatment. The average life expectancy for a patient is only 9 months. Yet 3,200 people are diagnosed with a Glioblastoma in the UK each year, and 3,200 families are affected.

Margaret’s amazing oncologist, UCL Associate Professor Paul Mulholland, believes we are on the cusp of a cure. He needs to run trials to prove that his early successes are replicable and improvable. 

Raising the funds so that Paul could conduct sufficient trials to prove the cure became Margaret’s final campaign. Together, we can help her win it.

Join us on 26 June, with friends of Margaret and supporters of her legacy, as well as those who didn't get the chance to meet her, but want to help rid the world of the suffering caused by glioblastoma.

Dame Siobhain McDonagh MP

 The Cusp of a Cure:

Why we need your support

Dr Paul Mulholland is Europe's leading medical oncologist in Glioblastoma, and believes we are getting close to a cure because of recent transformational successes in treating melanoma patients. Among other things, immunotherapy drugs have transformed the survival of people living with melanoma.

Glioblastoma brain cancer shares similarities to melanoma. Brain cancer cells and skin cancer cells have similar genetic changes. This may be because brain and skin cells share the same embryonic development. 

Paul’s programme of trials is exciting because it uses both cancer and immunotherapy drugs that have already been licensed for use with other cancers or are already in clinical development. He knows how these drugs work, what the correct dose is, what they do in the body and to the types of tumours he is interested in curing, and we have experience of their potential side-effects. We can be much more confident about likely success because we are not starting from scratch.

Join Us at Margaret’s Dinner

 By taking a table or tickets for Margaret’s Dinner you will be making a direct contribution to curing glioblastoma. Professor Paul Mulholland knows that his research in this field will find a cure for glioblastoma. But we must conduct the trials. 

Every penny raised in Margaret's memory will be spent in Paul’s department on the research and drug trials that will help other patients in the future and to find a cure for Glioblastoma brain cancer within ten years. And to win, together, Margaret’s Final Campaign.

 The Event:

The event will be a celebration of Margaret’s life and work, and will shine a spotlight on the essential work that needs to be done to cure glioblastoma. The event will be hosted by Dame Siobhain McDonagh MP, and we will hear from a range of speakers throughout the night, including Dr Paul Mulholland.