Film depicts realities of life with a brain tumour

A Kent film club set up by a woman who lost her partner to a brain tumour has screened a documentary showcasing the realities of this "dreadful disease".

Canterbury Christ Church University academic Jane Milton runs the club, which was set up last year with the Curzon Canterbury Westgate cinema.

Her partner, BBC South East sports reporter Neil Bell, whose career spanned more than 30 years, died aged 61 in March 2018 after being diagnosed with brain cancer.

Ms Milton, who decided to present the film Red Herring during Brain Tumour Awareness Month, said: "I was told we know more about black holes than we do about the brain."

Red Herring tells the story of writer and director Kit Vincent, who was diagnosed with a slow-growing brain tumour at the age of 24.

Ms Milton said she was certain that she wanted this to be the first film she presented at the club.

"This is a great way for him to process his grief; in a way it would be legacy, but it's life-affirming and very humorous – he's incredibly brave," she said.

Alongside a desire to raise awareness is the feeling that occasions like Monday's screening help "keep Neil's memory alive".

Ms Milton said: "We think about Neil every day; my boys, his family, his friends...we miss him dreadfully, but we also think about the happy times, the memories."

According to the Brain Tumour Charity, over 12,000 people in the UK are diagnosed each year with a primary brain tumour – 33 people a day.

This form of cancer reduces life expectancy by 27 years on average – the highest of any cancer – with just 12% of adults surviving for five years after diagnosis.

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