Tonight, our West End will be illuminated in yellow and pink as part of Brain Tumour Research’s Wear A Hat Day, the charity’s flagship fundraiser during Brain Tumour Awareness Month.

By joining landmarks across the UK in “Light Up the UK,” the Cathedral is helping to shine a spotlight on the urgent need for greater awareness and investment into research for this devastating disease.

Brain tumours remain the biggest cancer killer of children and adults under 40, and the statistics are stark:

• More than 1,000 people in the UK will learn they have a brain tumour this month
• One in three people knows someone affected
• More than 100,000 people are living with a brain tumour or the life‑changing effects of treatment or diagnosis

Behind these numbers are thousands of families whose lives have been profoundly changed, including the Smith family from Redbourn.

Emily’s Story

The Cathedral’s illumination on 27 March is dedicated in special memory of Emily from Redbourn, who died from an incurable brain tumour in August 2022, aged just eight years old, after a very short illness.

Emily was bright, confident, full of joy, and deeply loved by her family and friends. She adored drama, climbed trees and mountains with boundless enthusiasm, played the piano, and was a devoted Harry Potter fan, especially proud to call herself a Hufflepuff, whose house colour, yellow, was her favourite.

Her parents, Andy and Sarah, and her brother, Harry, continue to honour her legacy by fundraising for research and campaigning for greater awareness.

“Brain cancer robbed Emily of her future and all she had to offer the world,” they said. “We try our best to channel our grief into honouring Emily through fundraising and raising awareness of the desperate need for greater investment in research.”

The family expressed their gratitude to St Albans Cathedral for taking part in the national campaign:
“We are so thankful to St Albans Cathedral for lighting up their iconic building to help raise further awareness in our local area. For our Emily, and for all those affected by brain tumours.”

More information, including signs and symptoms of brain tumours, can be found here.