On Wednesday 9th September, we were thrilled and honoured to welcome to our office a very special guest, Her Royal Highness The Countess of Wessex. The trust’s founders, Neil and Angela Dickson, were delighted to give the Countess a guided tour to meet fellow trustees and distinguished guests including Dame Mary Fagan DCVO JP, Chairman of Hart District Council, Councillor Sharyn Wheale and Gerald Howarth, MP for Aldershot. Also there to meet the Countess were numerous patients, volunteers and fundraisers, all of whose lives have been affected in some way by brain cancer.
The Countess was clearly impressed by the hard work and dedication of everyone involved in working and fundraising for SDBTT. She met with staff involved with patient support and heard about the type of calls that the team receives and how important the telephone support helpline service is for people diagnosed with brain tumours.
A display highlighting the research that SDBTT is funding was of particular interest to the Countess; she was clearly surprised and shocked by the lack of funding that goes into brain 
tumour research in the UK, and acknowledged the importance of charities like us who work hard to fill the gap. Founder and Chairman of SDBTT, Neil Dickson, explained how we allocate the money towards research, and gave examples of some of the real scientific breakthroughs that this funding has resulted in.
As a mother, the Countess was also clearly moved by the experiences of those people she talked to who are affected by or had lost loved ones, including children, to brain tumours. After an emotional speech from our Chairman, the Countess thanked everyone for their hard work and expressed her appreciation to those whose lives have been affected by brain tumours and still managed to turn it into a positive experience by raising funds and therefore helping others who live with this devastating disease. Finally, she was presented with a posy by Harry Graham, a young supporter and brain tumour survivor himself, who is now determined, with the support of his family and friends, to raise as much money as possible for SDBTT and brain tumour research.
Please click on the photo gallery below to see more photos from this event.
Photos by Harry Swinhoe