THE parents of a young man who died after a 10-year battle with a brain tumour have raised more money in his memory.

Roy and Jacky Fredrickson held a fun afternoon at St Mary’s Church youth centre in Yate where they shared their experiences of a recent trip to New Zealand in aid of a fun for their Jon with the Brain Tumour Charity.

Jon, a regular member of the congregation at St Mary’s, died on May 18 2012 at the age of 26.

A dedicated Bristol Rovers fan, Jon was diagnosed with the tumour at the age of 16 whilst a pupil at Brimsham Green School in Yate.

Despite his illness, Jon took up an apprenticeship in business administration with Bristol City Council and won the chief executive’s employee of the year award and an excellence in citizenship award in 2006. He went on to work for the Department of Work and Pensions and the Job Centre in Bath.

His mum said the talk, followed by a cream tea, was held to coincide with the second anniversary of his death.

“We were so delighted to see over 60 people crowd into the hall and everyone seemed to really enjoy the afternoon,” she said. “Roy and I were pleased to share our experience of the amazingly scenic New Zealand’s South Island, and to be able to wear our Brain Tumour Charity T-shirts and tell everyone about the important work that this charity is doing and why we are supporting it.”

The afternoon raised more than £450 for the Brain Tumour Charity Jon Fredrickson Fund, which is an official supporter group of the Brain Tumour Charity.

Roy and Jacky have now raised more than £3,000 for the fund which will help the charity carry out more research into brain tumours.

Director of fundraising Louise Taylor said: “We are grateful for all the efforts made by our incredible fundraisers and thank them for holding events such as this.

“Brain tumours are the biggest cancer killer of the under 40s and, unlike other cancers, survival rates have not improved over the last 40 years.

“We are leading the way in changing this and truly fighting brain tumours on all fronts through our work, including a £2.5million investment into research this year alone.

“We receive no government funding and rely 100 per cent on voluntary donations, so it’s only through the efforts of people like Roy and Jacky and the Jon Fredrickson Fund that we can change these shocking statistics in the future and bring hope to the thousands of people who are diagnosed with a brain tumour every year.”

Next month Roy and Jacky Fredrickson are undertaking a coast to coast commemorative caravan journey from Lowestoft in the East to St David’s in West Wales fulfilling Jon’s unrealised ambition of visiting the furthest points of the UK.

To contribute to The Brain Tumour Charity Jon Fredrickson Fund go to www.justgiving.com/Jacky-Fredrickson1 or text JONF85 £5(£2, £10 or other amount) to 70070.