A Scots broadcaster who discovered he had a brain tumor after falling off his bike is hosting a charity art auction.
Glenn Campbell, 48, is raising cash to help fund a new Scottish Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence at laboratories at the University of Edinburgh and the University of Glasgow.
The journalist was diagnosed with an oligodendroglioma in summer 2023 after falling off his bike in East Lothian, breaking 10 ribs. Mr Campbell subsequently had surgery at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
The Brain Power; art sale in support of Brain Tumour Research will take place at Bonhams Edinburgh between Friday, August 2-12.
Leading artists including Victoria Crowe, Alison Watt, Frances Walker, Barbara Rae and Adrian Wiszniewski will also feature in what promises to be a true celebration of the very best in today’s Scottish art.
The 40-lot online auction will showcase an impressive collection of contemporary Scottish art with Jack Vettriano’s Portrait of the Artist leading the sale with an estimate of £5,000-7,000.
Other highlights include an oil on canvas by John Houston with an estimate of £2,000-3000.
A landscape by John Lowrie Morrison entitled, Wee Peat Stacks, South Uist, estimated at £2,000-3,000.
A still life by Glenn Scouller, Vintage Coffee Pot and Sunflowers, with an estimate of £1,500-2,500.
The works will be on display to the public at Bonhams, 7 Melville Crescent, in the West End of Edinburgh while the auction runs.
Glenn said: ““It was a big shock to be told I had a life-limiting condition. When I was told that brain tumours are the biggest cancer killer of children and adults under the age of 40, I knew I wanted to help change these grim statistic. That’s why I created the fundraising community, Brain Power, to raise money to research this devastating disease.
“It seems to me, the more scientific brain power we can train on this problem, the more likely the experts are to make breakthroughs in treatment and their search for a cure.
“I liked the idea of having an art sale because there can be few better illustrations of the power and creativity of the human brain than the visual arts.”
More than 1,000 people in Scotland are diagnosed with a brain tumour every year. Of those, 433 people are diagnosed with a high-grade brain tumour.
The Scottish Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence will see world-leading brain cancer experts work to find a cure for glioblastoma (GBM), a highly aggressive brain tumour with a devastatingly short average survival time of 12-18 months
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May Matthews, Managing Director of Bonhams Scotland, said: “We are thrilled to be supporting Brain Tumour Research. As the only national charity in the UK focused on finding a cure for all types of brain tumours, its work is critical to funding medical research and raising awareness. The sale includes some remarkable works donated by many prestigious and award-winning Scottish artists from Jack Vettriano and Victoria Crowe to Alison Watt and John Lowrie Morrison, also known as Jolomo. This is a wonderful opportunity to buy some outstanding paintings for a very good cause.”
Ashley McWilliams, community development manager for Brain Tumour Research, said: “We are delighted Bonhams is joining forces with Glenn to support us in our drive to find a cure for brain tumours. With one in three people knowing someone affected by a brain tumour, Glenn’s story is, sadly, not unique. Brain tumours kill more men under 70 than prostate cancer. We’re determined to change that, but we can’t do it alone. Together we will find 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.
To donate to Glenn Campbell’s Brain Power page for Brain Tumour Research, visit.
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