A WIMBORNE man diagnosed with a brain tumour after being knocked from a bike has welcomed the launch of a major new research centre.

Paul Bartlett, who now resides in London, was among patients, family members, scientists and clinicians who gathered to celebrate the opening of a new partnership between Brain Tumour Research, Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) and the UCL Institute of Neurology.

The launch of the Research Centre of Excellence in London coincided with the fourth anniversary of Paul’s diagnosis with a tumour he subsequently named Terry.

“Somehow, giving it a name helped me to deal with it,” he said.

The 37-year-old schoolteacher, who is now fully recovered, only discovered he had cancer after being knocked off his bike.

He added: “I reckon I must be the luckiest person alive to have been hit by a London taxi. To be taken into hospital after a road accident is bad enough, to then be told you have a brain tumour is devastating.

“Strangely, having two broken arms helped me to accept my slow recovery from brain surgery and I was able to achieve my dream of being a teacher.”

The new centre is being led by Professor Silvia Marino, a leading brain tumour scientist and neuro-pathologist based at QMUL’s medical school, and will specialise in identifying how glioblastoma multiforme forms and grows within the brain, with the final aim being to identify more efficient drug treatments