Call for more brain cancer study

Susanna Twiddy died in March, 12 years after her tumour was diagnosed

More funding is needed for brain cancer research, the parents of a Devon woman who died from the disease have said.

Ted and Anne Burch's daughter, Susanna Twiddy, died from a brain tumour earlier this year at the age of 33.

In a campaign to raise awareness, the couple from Ivybridge completed a 435-mile (700km) charity trek.

The couple said research into brain cancer was one of the most underfunded, despite it being the biggest killer of people under the age of 40.

Ms Twiddy studied at Oxford and Cambridge, and worked in biomedical research.

She died in March in her native Devon, 12 years after a malignant brain tumour was diagnosed.

Inoperable tumour

"She was feisty and very determined and did a lot in her very short life - more than most of us achieve," Mr Burch told BBC News.

Despite her tumour being inoperable, Ms Twiddy had campaigned for more research into the disease, which affects about 6,500 people every year.

Her campaign has now been taken on by her parents who are working with the Samantha Dickson Brain Tumour Trust.

One of the charity's patrons is teenage Olympic diver Tom Daley, from Plymouth, whose father, Rob, had a brain tumour removed two years ago.

Mr and Mrs Burch said they undertook the historic pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain because it was something their daughter had long urged them to do.

"It gave us the time and space to reflect on Susanna's life and perhaps come to terms with what happened," Mrs Burch said.