Wickes is proud to announce it has reached its £2 million fundraising target for The Brain Tumour Charity, following a two-year partnership that united colleagues, customers, and suppliers across the UK in support of a cause affecting thousands each year.
The partnership, launched in April 2023, aimed to fund research and help improve survival rates for those affected by brain tumours. By April 2024, Wickes had already raised £1 million, with standout fundraising weeks in December 2024 and March 2025 bringing in £118,927 and £94,497, respectively, with 100% store engagement.
Colleagues across 228 stores, the Support Centre, and the Distribution Centre rallied together through events, personal challenges, and customer 50p asks in our stores. This partnership has not only raised vital funds but also raised awareness of the urgent need for brain tumour research and support services.
Supported by the partnership, The Brain Tumour Charity has scaled its support services by 33% year-on-year. In 2023–24, the charity supported 12,189 individuals 15,187 times – up 33% on the previous year. Its support line helped 3,129 people (up 7%), and 3,916 families received information packs at diagnosis – a 69% year-on-year increase. In addition, 425 people began counselling through the Charity (up 61%), and 1.1 million people accessed support via its websites.
The £2 million raised through the Wickes partnership has also enabled the charity to invest in research projects, including early-stage diagnostics using biomarkers in tear drops, and to work towards its bold goal of investing £50 million into brain tumour research by 2030.
David Wood, CEO at Wickes, said: “At Wickes, we’ve been delighted to partner with The Brain Tumour Charity over the past two years and are tremendously proud of the fantastic efforts of all our colleagues and customers to raise funds to support the life-changing work of this incredible charity. We wish them every success in their future work to make a meaningful difference to people’s lives and help find a cure for brain tumours.”
Dr Michele Afif, CEO at The Brain Tumour Charity, said: “This is a hugely inspiring moment for The Brain Tumour Charity. As we reach the two-year anniversary of our partnership with Wickes, we celebrate the incredible effort of the whole Wickes team in raising this phenomenal sum. Our partnership was nothing short of transformational, allowing us to invest in our new Future Leaders fund, more translational research and boost our vital support services.”
“Wickes has significantly helped us to reach more people affected by a brain tumour diagnosis and support them to live longer and better lives. Our heartfelt thanks and gratitude to everyone who continues to support this partnership. In the past two years, Wickes has been a tangible part of growing our support services by a third, our campaign for a national brain tumour strategy and breakthroughs in paediatric brain tumour treatment. This support will enable The Brain Tumour Charity to further its work in research and increase the number of people in the community they can support.”
Tanya Tozer, Store Manager at Wickes Worksop, said: “Prior to our partnership, very little was understood about just how many people are affected and how minimal funding is. Knowing that research into brain tumours represents just 3% of national spend on cancer, with 34 people being told every day they have a brain tumour, has been the motivation for all stores to truly help the charity both with fundraising and by helping educate and engage our colleagues, customers, friends and family. I’ve spoken to many colleagues throughout my role as Regional Charity Champion and the engagement is second to none. It is truly inspiring seeing what our full Wickes team has achieved and the buzz around key event dates has been mind-blowing!”
