New charity pin badge inspired by Corby's Cat in a Hat

Cat Anderson is the inspiration behind a badge being sold to raise funds for research into the disease which took her life on June 14 last year.

Cat, who was born in Glasgow and grew up in Corby before moving to Uppingham where she lived with partner James Tilford and her son Robert Dunne, 19, was diagnosed with an aggressive and incurable brain tumour in 2014.

After discovering that brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer and just one per cent of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this disease, Cat and her family set up the Cat in a Hat fundraising group.

It was set up under the umbrella of pioneering national charity, Brain Tumour Research.

The group’s name came about because after Cat lost her hair due to chemotherapy, she was often seen wearing one of an impressive range of hats given to her by friends and family.

Modelled on the Cat in a Hat logo, the badges in memory of Cat have been produced in the run-up to the charity’s Wear A Hat Day event, which is taking place on Thursday, March 29.

This year’s Wear A Hat Day event looks to be bigger than ever before, as thousands of people in schools, universities and workplaces across the country will don beanies, top hats, trilbies, fascinators and fedoras to raise awareness and fundraise for research into brain tumours.

Cat’s father Rab Anderson of Kettering said: “We are finding it extremely difficult without Cat.

“I wake up each morning and almost immediately I feel such a terrible sense of loss.

“It’s only when I am asleep that I don’t feel the pain and anguish of living without her.

“Cat was always so bubbly and fun – we all miss her dreadfully, including her mum, Margo, sisters Lorraine and Lizzie, as well as James and Robert, who recently completed a photography course at Leicester College and has now started a job at Lands’ End clothing in Oakham, which he is enjoying.

“It would mean so much to us if people bought a badge to remember Cat and to help vital fundraising for research to find more effective treatments and ultimately a cure for brain tumours.

“We are asking everybody to wear their badges ahead of Wear A Hat Day to inspire others to support the campaign.

“In the UK, over 16,000 people are diagnosed with a brain tumour each year, with less than 20 per cent surviving beyond five years, compared with an average of 50 per cent across all cancers.”

The Cat in a Hat badge is available for a suggested donation of £5 on eBay or direct from Rab Anderson.

To find out how you can get involved with Wear A Hat Day go to www.wearahatday.org.

For more details about Cat in a Hat fundraising events, follow Cat in a Hat on Facebook.