When David Grant was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour and given 12 months to live, he promised his daughter he would survive long enough to walk her to her first day at primary school.

In 2005 David, of Grove Hill Road in Tunbridge Wells, was diagnosed with brain cancer and had to face the devastating thought that he may not see his daughter, Lauren, grow up.

Miraculously, nine years on, the 54-year-old is now fighting fit and and has managed to not only walk Lauren, now 11, to her first day of primary school, but also to her first day of secondary school.

He has received no further cancer medication since 2006 and continues to survive. He is passionate about raising awareness of the desperate need for research and actively supports the charity, Brain Tumour Research.

The west Kent resident recently welcomed the launch of a new Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence in London supported by £1 million of funding per year.

He was among numerous patients, family members and carers, scientists, clinicians and charity workers who gathered for the launch of the new partnership between the brain tumour charity of Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) on Thursday, October 23.

It is run in collaboration with the University College of London Institute of Neurology and will work to bring fresh hope to the 16,000 people per year diagnosed with a brain tumour.

The launch represented a huge day of hope for David and his family as well as the thousands of patients and survivors across the UK and those who have lost a family member or friend.

He said: “My survival so far should give hope to others. With much more research, the medical advances since 2005 and progress made in clinical trials, I hope that it will give others hope.

"My motivation throughout has come from my lovely daughter, Lauren, who is now 11-years-old. As promised back in 2005, I got to walk her to her first day at school, a moment I will treasure forever.

"I’m looking forward to the rest of the milestones I get to see her through.”

The event was hosted by Brain Tumour Research Patron, the Rt Hon John Bercow MP – speaker of the House of Commons. He said: "This is an historic moment for Brain Tumour Research. Based on what they have achieved already, the prognosis is now brighter for patients and families affected by this terrible disease.

“But we can’t be complacent. Unlike many other cancers, brain tumour research does not benefit from general research. It is only through giving to charities funding laboratory-based research that all 120+ types of brain tumour will be cured. I will continue to do all that I can to help bring the UK to the forefront of brain tumour research.”

"My motivation throughout has come from my lovely daughter, Lauren, who is now 11-years-old. As promised back in 2005, I got to walk her to her first day at school, a moment I will treasure forever" - David Grant...

David added: "Visiting Queen Mary, meeting the scientists and being given a tour round the labs was an amazing experience and hugely reassuring to know that Brain Tumour Research’s new Centre of Excellence will bring us closer to finding more effective treatments and ultimately a cure.

“One in 50 people who die under the age of 60 years are dying from brain tumours. This is a shocking statistic as is the fact that research in this area is woefully underfunded, receiving just 1% of national cancer research spending."

The Centre of Excellence is being led by Professor Silvia Marino, a leading brain tumour scientist and neuropathologist based at QMUL’s School of Medicine and Dentistry.

He said: “Glioblastomas are a malignant, aggressive type of brain tumour and tragically one of the most common. With Brain Tumour Research’s help we will be investigating how the tumours develop, which is key to advancing their treatment. This is a major initiative in an underfunded research area in the UK.”

Sue Farrington Smith, Chief Executive of Brain Tumour Research, said: “Today is a milestone for research. Together we’re establishing a powerful new team of researchers who will share our ambition of creating a better future for those diagnosed and living with a brain tumour. We are all determined that one day we will find a cure.”

Brain Tumour Research currently helps fund – through corporate and public fundraising – an annual £1 million programme of research at their Centre of Excellence in the University of Portsmouth.

For more information visit www.braintumourresearch.org