In memory of Phil - because brain tumours suck!

Aim

A bunch of us are doing a sponsored half-marathon walk AKA pub/coffee crawl across Hackney to raise funds in memory of Phil Robinson

Who on earth is Phil anyway?!

I suspect that if you are reading this page, then you are someone to whom I do not need to introduce Phil Robinson. Still, on the off chance that this appeal reaches far and wide, I will try to do him justice and tell you about the man I am lucky to have called a colleague and a friend.

He was many things to many people but to us at the Homerton he has been a valued colleague who has worked for the trust his entire career as a registered dietitian. Phil had a heart for working with patients living with complex obesity and worked across the weight management service and the bariatric service. To say worked, doesn't cover what he really did. Phil changed lives. His care, compassion, warmth and competence made patients, often disempowered and stigmatised by society, feel seen, accepted and valued, therefore ultimately more able to help themselves. And his impact didn't stop with the patients. Those of us who have worked closely with him have been missing him and all his humanity, his consistent kind presence, gentle questioning and quiet intellect, sense of humour and ability to stand strong for what he believed in. His absence is felt every day and we find it hard to make sense of the photo above in light of what followed. The picture was taken at our Christmas meal in December 2024. It was a small but lovely meal out and nothing was amiss. Yet two weeks later, out of the blue, Phil was diagnosed with a brain tumour age 39.  

Why we want to raise funds?

By the 4th January 2025, Phil had an operation to remove what we later came to understand was an advanced and aggressive glioblastoma (brain tumour). Cycles of chemo and radiotherapy followed and we hung onto hope against stark odds that the treatment will work and this absurd curved ball that was thrown Phil's way, will correct course and all will be well. Because, frankly, there needs to be more Phils in this world and having fewer made no sense.

Sadly, modern science just didn't have the answer to stop this awful disease and on the 11th October 2025, 10-months after being diagnosed, surrounded by so much love and care, Phil passed away.  

Brain tumours are the biggest cancer killer of under 40s and in the absence of effective evidence based treatment, patients like Phil stand little chance. The Brain Tumour Charity is the largest dedicated funder of research into brain tumours globally and they provide vital support to patients and their families, which Phil and Hanna, his wife, benefited from.

Phil and Hanna, were also full of praise for the team at St Joseph's Hospice where Phil spent his last two weeks. They made sure that he was as comfortable as possible, that he could blast his best heavy metal playlist and had his cat alongside his human visitors to keep him company. And Phil repaid their compassion and care by shining through the struggle till the very end, thanking nurses for their care and checking how their day off went, even when he struggled to get words out.    

So, friends, colleagues, acquaintances and random strangers! Please help us to raise support for these two organisations that do such important work and have been there for Phil and Hanna in the most desperate of times.

A team of us from the Homerton (and frankly anyone else who cares to join), will be doing a half-marathon walk on the 29th November 2025 starting out from the Golden Fleece, near Manor Park where Phil and Hanna lived, at 10am. We will make our way through Hackney, towards the Homerton and finish in Hoxton, stopping off for excellent coffee and maybe some Guinness on the way, because frankly, Phil wouldn't have us do it any other way.

Please, sponsor us generously so we can raise vital funds for the above two organisations to enable them to continue doing the amazing work they do and so that we can accelerate finding a cure for brain tumours.   

This project successfully funded on 7th December 2025