THE FAMILY and friends of a young Hampshire man who died of a brain tumour have released a desperate plea for more research into the condition.

Nathan Ward, known fondly as Spuddy, was diagnosed with three brain tumours on his 21st birthday and died 18 months later.

The Fareham College student fought through surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy and now his family and friends have paid tribute to him on what would have been his 26 th birthday.

Nathan's mum Dawn Farnham, 48 from Locks Heath has called for help from people across Hampshire to raise money and awareness of the condition which killed her only child.

She met with doctors working towards a cure at the Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence at Portsmouth University before placing a tile on the Wall of Hope.

Each tile represents the £2,740 it costs to fund a day of brain tumour research and since losing her son Dawn has been campaigning to support the charity Brain Tumour Research.

She went to talk with doctors and put up the tile with husband Colin, 49, and invited Nathan's friends Steve Rawson, 24, Lozz Hart, 23, and Chris Fenwick, 23, all from Locks Heath, and Jess McNally, 24, from Southampton, to honour her son.

It was the third tile placed on the wall in Nathan's name, with his family and friends raising more than £6,000 in his memory and they chose to put the tile up with his birthday, October 18, engraved onto it.

Dawn said: "I find it hard knowing how little research is done into brain tumours compared to other cancers – this doesn’t seem right especially when brain tumours seem to affect so many young people.

"Fundraising for Brain Tumour Research is a way of helping me cope with the loss of my only child. I wanted his friends, who stood by him and who continue to support me, to see the vital work which is taking place here.”

The group were able to see the work at the centre, which houses the UK's largest laboratory-based research team working to improve survival rates and quality of life for patients.

Scientific investigations range from studying tumour cell invasion into healthy brain tissue to effective drug delivery and personalised medicine, including specific treatments for childhood brain tumours.

The research at the centre, plus three others in the Brain Tumour Research network, costs £1 million a year to run.

Sue Farrington Smith for Brain Tumour Research said: “Dawn is driven by the wish that others will not have to suffer the tragedy of losing a loved one to this dreadful disease and we are extremely grateful to her for her dedicated commitment.

“Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer yet just one per cent of the national research spend on cancer research is allocated to this devastating disease.”