The John King Brain Tumour Foundation
John King sadly passed away on 22nd November 2016, after a brave and dignified fight against a glioblastoma brain tumour.
John’s tribute in The Caterer Magazine described him as:
“One of the hospitality industry’s most highly respected chefs. During his 40 years in the kitchen – including stints at the Dorchester, the Connaught, the Ritz Club, Le Caprice, Les Ambassadeurs, Crockford’s and the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Manila – he was renowned for inspiring and teaching a legion of younger chefs.
John won many accolades during his career including the gold medal for Best Regional Team in the World for the Ritz Club at the 1988 Culinary Olympics. He was an active member of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts, chairing the selection committee and golf society.
He took up a post as a part-time lecturer at Westminster College, where he started his career, as well as working two days a week as chief caviar packer at King’s Fine Food alongside his wife Laura.
Laura King told The Caterer:
“Everyone loved John. Everywhere we went people knew him, and just last year at Westminster Kingsway we managed to get a picture of him with many of the students he had taught.”
Gary Hunter, Vice Principal for Hospitality and Adult Learning at Westminster Kingsway College, said: “John started his career at Westminster Technical College as a student on our Professional Chef Diploma and he came full circle after an illustrious career coming back to us two years ago to teach on the very same programme. He was a remarkable chef and one of life’s true gentlemen. He was everything a professional chef should aspire to. ”
John was first diagnosed in May 2015 and operated on at Atkinson Morley Hospital in June of that year. Fairing very well the day after his operation, he could be found in Marks & Spencer buying a sandwich! And on his first day home after surgery, he took great pleasure in cooking Harry and 12 of his friends a huge breakfast. John remained fit until March 2016 when he had a seizure and was diagnosed with a second tumour in another part of the brain. He then had another operation under neurosurgeon Tim Jones.
During John’s treatment, Laura and John discovered the gardens for patients outside McKissock Ward at Atkinson Morley. The gardens, commissioned by the famous brain surgeon Henry Marsh to help with patient recovery, were looking in need of some TLC. With the agreement of the hospital, Laura and John adopted the garden and with a team of friends started to maintain it.
Creating a legacy
Laura and John both agreed that they should start a charity to maintain and improve the McKissock Ward garden. In addition to this, they were passionate about supporting the amazing work of St George’s Hospital Trust in the treatment of brain tumours while under the constant financial pressures of the NHS.
And so the John King Brain Tumour Foundation was conceived and a group of dedicated and enthusiastic trustees are on board.
Since then, the Foundation has raised over £800,000 for the renovation of the garden and the purchase of life-saving equipment (not funded by the NHS)
The needs we address
Brain tumours kill more under 40s than any other cancer, more women under 35 than breast cancer and more under 75s than leukaemia. Brain tumours are the biggest cancer killer in the UK of children and young adults (ages 5-24) and 60% of childhood survivors do not achieve complete independence as adults. Over 12,000 people in the UK each year are diagnosed with a primary brain tumour, 38.9% present as emergencies (compared to 18.5% for all cancers). Patients with brain tumours have an average life expectancy of just 15 months from diagnosis; only 13% survive more than five years (compared to 52% across all cancers).
Neurosurgery is undertaken by specialist hospitals, often being the difference between life and death for patients affected by brain tumours. St. George’s Hospital undertakes over 450 brain tumour operations alone each year. Around 1,220 patients are admitted to the Neuro-Intensive Care Unit (NICU) each year and 1,820 to the William Drummond Ward. Their length of stay can be many weeks or months.
What we have achieved so far
Equipment
In 2018/19 we raised £150,000 for a state-of-the-art neurological microscope, which enables surgeons to remove more of a brain tumour, potentially increasing a patient’s lifespan. In 2020 we successfully raised another £150,000 to buy a second surgical microscope for St Georges Hospital. These microscopes, which are not available through NHS funding, each have a “teaching arm” to allow medical students to watch the surgery and learn during live operations. Each microscope is used approximately 1,200 times a year in theatre to help adults and children with brain tumours and other neurosurgical needs including spinal cord surgery, repairing ruptured blood vessels in the brain, brain tumour removal and repair of spinal bifida in children, trauma and many other conditions.
“These Microscopes have a long life and can be used for many neurosurgical conditions including glioblastoma’s have a potential working life of 20 years and are going to have the potential to help thousands and thousands of patients” – Tim Jones, Lead Surgeon
In 2020 we were able to purchase a Combined Two-Pin Skull Clamp and Actuated Headrest for the paediatric neurosurgery team at St. George’s Hospital. This state-of-the-art system is safe for children under 5 years and reduces potential complications such as skin necrosis and pressure sores. The Headrest provides cranial support for infants and young children when they are lying on their front or back. It also allows adjustments and thus flexibility in patient positioning. It has an adjustable pad base which will accommodate various head sizes.
In addition in 2024, we purchased a Sonoca 300 Ultrasonic Aspirator and Endoscope for the paediatric neurosurgery team at St. George’s Hospital.
“The new Ultrasonic aspirator (Sonoca) and endoscope will allow us to manoeuvre within the brain through a very small opening and has the option of inserting two instruments to help remove deep brain tumours, so they really do minimise risk to paediatric patients, through a more efficient operation. Currently we have to send children and teenagers to other distant hospitals who already have this equipment, which causes much stress to our patients and their families. All the equipment donated have a long life and can be used for many paediatric neurosurgical conditions including brain tumours, removal of colloid cysts, fenestrations of arachnoid cysts and other procedures to prevent life-threatening hydrocephalus. They are going to have the potential to help thousands of young patients.
On behalf of myself and my Paediatric Neurosurgery colleagues, thank you so much to the Hilton Foundation for your generous donation which will change lives for generations to come” – Samantha Hettige – Consultant Neurosurgeon, St George’s
Gardens
We continue to maintain the McKissock Ward Roof Gardens, now the John King Brain Tumour Foundation Garden. Designed by the amazing Rhiannon Williams from Garden Club London, this hospital rooftop garden provides space for an estimated 10,000 patients, visitors, hospital staff and therapists every year to be immersed in nature. It is a relaxed environment to aid recovery, hold difficult conversations and a place to relax and reflect. This small garden demonstrates how we are transforming areas of grey, concrete hospital rooftops into hidden sanctuaries for people and wildlife to enjoy.
The garden was showcased at the Hampton Court Flower Show in 2022 (winning the ‘People’s Choice’ award) to raise awareness of the Foundation and highlight the health benefits of having well-designed hospital gardens to provide restorative and pleasant nature views, which reduce stress and improve clinical outcomes. Its leaf canopy is made from hands applauding the NHS. Under a canopy of dappled shade provided by birch trees are secluded spaces in which to sit surrounded by raised planters filled with scented and colourful plants in a pastel colour palette.
“Last week I spent 4 days in St Georges following surgery for the removal of a meningioma. I found life on the ward extremely noisy, bright, and exhausting thus was delighted when I discovered the roof garden. Whenever I could I took my blanket and lay on one of the recliners enjoying the beautiful flowers and appreciating the wonderfully designed garden. It brought me great joy at a time of great stress. Thank you for providing this for patients.”
Our latest projects
Stealth Autoguide Robotics Guidance Platform
We are fundraising to purchase a Stealth Autoguide Robotics Guidance Platform for St George’s Hospital Neurology Department. This state-of-the-art equipment will enable surgeons to perform precision, minimally invasive cranial surgery improving both patient and surgeon safety and surgical success. A substantial body of high-quality evidence indicates this is an effective, cost-saving, and safe technical solution for better patient outcomes, including longer life expectancy, reduced recovery times, improved post-surgical quality of life etc. Once purchased, the robotic guide is expected to benefit over 1000 cranial surgery patients each year at St George’s Hospital. The robotic guide cost is £112,000.
Our next garden project is to install a major new garden adjacent to the Neuro-Intensive Care Unit (NICU) on the Atkinson Morley Wing of St. George’s Hospital (see photographs of current space). The NICU provides a tertiary referral neuroscience acute level of care with physiological monitoring, neurological supportive therapies and complex treatments that require a high staff-to-patient ratio from a highly-skilled, multi-professional team. This includes care of patients at risk of, or, following the development of, an acute neurological condition (including trauma, haemorrhage, stroke) and complex post-operative recovery.
The new garden will be situated on the first floor of the Atkinson Morley, immediately accessible from the Neuro ICU, to benefit the well-being and recovery of an estimated 7,000 patients, visitors, staff and therapists each year. It can only be installed after extensive building works to ensure the first-floor site is safe to accommodate a garden. The total cost of the project is estimated to be £400,000.
King’s Fine Food have in the last 12 months donated more than £22,000 to the John King Brain Tumour Foundation by sponsoring fundraising events ensuring that funds generated are maximised and monies raised are donated directly to the source whether that be lifesaving neurosurgical equipment or the maintenance of the beautiful McKissock Ward Garden at St. George’s Hospital