FOR many years our family has been touched by cancer. My husband worked as a cancer research fellow in Oxford. I was a district nurse spending many years looking after patients suffering from cancer.

I then myself had cancer but fortunately have been in remission for 21 years. Our older daughter developed it, but sadly died leaving two children. Then our youngest daughter was diagnosed in February with a brain tumour.

At that point I felt my life crashing around me but I heard a young man sing and he inspired me to do something positive. I felt at that point if I could get him to sing at a concert to raise money for more research and better treatment and earlier diagnosis then I could turn myself around.

I approached his father and asked him if Will, his son, had any free time to give me. I was delighted to be told that they would be doing a concert for the Lydney Music Festival and that they might be able to use the charity 'Brain Tumour UK' for the fundraising.

This has now been organised by them and Will Sharma will perform at the concert with his friends. The Lydney Musical Society have also agreed to participate.

This has been so special for me as brain tumours do not get so much money as other high profiled cancers. The treatment has not changed for over 20 or more years. It kills more young men under 45 years and women under 35 years than any other forms. Many children are diagnosed each year and as a country we are lagging behind other European countries with statistics of outcomes.

The concert will be at St Mary's Church, Lydney, on June 9 at 7.30pm. Tickets costing £5 will be sold at the door.

– Barbara Bramwell.