Mum of Manchester student Laura Nuttall hands petition in to Downing Street

Nicola is in London, as she continues to campaign for more research and investment into brain cancer treatments

Laura and Nicola before a Peter Kay charity show in 2021
Published 31st Jan 2024

The mum of Laura Nuttall is in London today, as she hands in a petition calling for more investment into cures for cancer.

Laura passed away last year aged just 23 after suffering from brain cancer.

Nicola said that her daughter would want her to campaign for change.

"Laura was passionate about raising awareness and finding a cure," she said ahead of handing in the petition, which has been signed by more than 80,000 people.

"It broke her heart every time she heard of another young person diagnosed with a brain tumour; it's eight months since we lost our beautiful daughter, we miss her every minute of every day but I know campaigning for change is what she wanted us to do, so that in the future other families don't have to endure the same devastation that we have."

Laura was diagnosed in 2018, and was given just 12 months to live.

She dropped out of university in London and underwent an operation to remove the largest of eight tumours.

In 2019 she returned to uni, this time in Manchester, and completed a number of items on her bucket list before she died, including completing her degree, meeting Michelle Obama, piloting a Royal Navy patrol boat and presenting a television weather bulletin.

Mrs Nuttall will be joined by Antiques Roadshow expert Theo Burrell, who was diagnosed with a glioblastoma (GBM) in June 2022, and Danny Clarke from the BBC's The Instant Gardener, whose sister Margot McLellan died from GBM.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said:

"Brain cancer is a devastating disease, which is why we've made £40 million available for research projects specifically looking for new treatments and therapies to tackle this illness.

"We're investing in research infrastructure, workshops and training for clinicians to further progress developments in this field. And we continue to encourage further applications for research funding from successful candidates through the National Institute for Health and Care Research."

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