"IT breaks my heart to know there are patients and families out there that need our help but we do not have resources to support them."

Tina Mitchell Skinner is devastated Brain Tumour Support, the charity she founded 17 years ago, could face closure amid the coronavirus pandemic as funding plummets.

The charity has supported brain tumour patients and families in Somerset and Bath for for almost two decades, but has now launched the urgent Together We Are Stronger Appeal to ensure its survival.

BTS has had to furlough the majority of its staff and suspend much of its service across the country, and is now facing the prospect of leaving hundreds of vulnerable people without support if vital funds are not raised in the next two months.

“It breaks my heart to know that there are patients and families out there that need our help but we do not have resources to support them,” said Tina, who founded the charity after losing her husband to a brain tumour.

“Brain Tumour Support has grown every year to help more people. We had exciting plans to further extend our support services and then the pandemic hit.

"This also coincided with funding from Macmillan England coming to an end, so for us it was a double blow.

"We rely solely on voluntary donations and have an amazing army of fundraisers, but most of the events and activities they were planning have had to be cancelled or postponed, so our income has plummeted.”

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The decrease in income also comes at a time when Brain Tumour Support has seen a huge increase in demand for its services, she said.

The lockdown has not only increased isolation for brain tumour patients, it has also delayed many people receiving diagnoses or treatment.

This means the charity is expecting an even larger increase in demand for its services once lockdown measures are eased.

And although Brain Tumour Support has adapted its services to try and help as many people as possible, many vital aspects of its work have had to be put on hold.

It now offers a limited number of video chats instead of support groups and has managed to keep its telephone support line and online support forum open for the time being.

But in order to survive and bring back its support services to the level they were before the Covid-19 pandemic, it urgently needs donations from individuals, organisations and companies, Tina said.

“We are currently working with over 1,500 patients and carers requiring critical and intensive support with many more waiting for help,” she added.

“As well as patients who need our help, many NHS staff are also supported by us, as we provide a service that they simply do not have the resources to provide.

"We know these are challenging times for many people, but we are calling on you to consider making a donation, however much you can afford.

"Supporting us with a donation now, more than ever, will enable us to navigate through this devastating period so that we can survive, and continue to provide our crucial services now, and in the future.”

To find out how you can get involved or to make a donation to the Together We Are Stronger Appeal, visit the charity’s website, at www.braintumoursupport.co.uk/appeal