Damon Hill Appointed Honorary Team Captain for the Brain & Spine Foundation Marathon Team & Ambassador for Neuro UK
Marathon team of 56 runners will compete in London to raise funds and awareness of neuro conditions that impact 11 million people in the UK.
Formula 1 World Champion and Sky Sports Presenter Damon Hill is today unveiled as the Honorary Team Captain for the Brain & Spine Foundation’s London Marathon 2024 team.
The team, which comprises 56 runners, will compete in the marathon to raise funds for the charity.
Building on the charity’s strong links to F1, through its establishment over 30 years ago by Professor Sid Watkins, F1’s then Medical Director, Damon is also today announced as the first ambassador for Neuro UK.
A new campaign of the Brain & Spine Foundation, Neuro UK seeks to advance the cause of the 11 million people in the UK who live with neuro conditions – ranging from stroke, Parkinson’s and dementia to cerebral palsy, meningitis, epilepsy, migraine, and brain and spinal injury.
Despite killing and disabling more people each year than cancer and cardiac issues combined, neuro is not considered a national health priority. Neuro UK believes it should sit alongside cancer and cardiac at the top of the list.
The campaign intends to change this by developing an Institute for Neuro Life Science with a leading UK university to independently analyse UK-wide data on real-life patient experiences, and patterns and outcomes of care. Doing so will demonstrate the full impact and avoidable cost that neuro conditions have on lives, the health service and the economy.
Peter Hamlyn, President of the Brain & Spine Foundation and Founder of Neuro UK, said:
“We are extremely pleased to have someone of Damon’s influence supporting us and building on our long-established ties between the Brain & Spine Foundation and Formula 1.
“Our priority for Neuro UK is to get neuro a seat at the top table, alongside cancer and cardiac, where health decisions are being made. It is so important for us to have champions like Damon on board who can reach the 11 million people in the UK who live with neuro conditions and help to make sure they are being heard.”
Announcing Damon’s captaincy, Mark Luce, Chair of the Brain and Spine Foundation, said:
“We are very pleased that Damon, whose knowledge and understanding of neuro injuries is significant through his years in Formula 1, has offered to not only become Honorary Team Captain of the Brain and Spine Foundation’s London Marathon Team but also to cycle L’Étape du Tour de France to raise funds for Neuro UK. He has always been a brilliant ambassador for Formula 1 and he will be a brilliant ambassador for Neuro UK.”
Damon Hill said:
“As an F1 driver, the risk of neuro injuries was always our greatest concern. Sadly, over the course of my racing career, several outstanding drivers suffered devastating brain and spinal injuries. But these types of injury are only some of over 600 neuro conditions that have life-changing impacts on people of all ages.
“Across our lives, all of us will know friends and family who live with neuro conditions. But our awareness of neuro as a society is far, far too low. It doesn’t get the focus, attention or priority it needs.
“We need a shift in everyone’s understanding of the importance of neuro and smarter methods for delivering neuro care.”
Donations for the Brain and Spine Foundation London Marathon team can be made via: https://2024tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/brainandspine/profile.
Neuro UK is a campaign established by the Brain & Spine Foundation.
For interviews or further information please contact Marc Smith at [email protected] or call 07798 558607.
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