Jake Devline-Reed takes on Snowdon challenge in memory of his grandad

Welsh reality TV personality Jake Devline-Reed is set to scale new heights next month as he takes on Yr Wyddfa for charity in memory of his grandad.

Jake - star of BBC Three’s ‘I Kissed a Boy’, will climb and descend Wales’s highest mountain as many times as he can in 24 hours on 12 July to raise funds for Cancer Research Wales.

As he faces up to the challenge of the Black Diamond Yr Wyddfa | Snowdon24 2025, Jake is also speaking publicly for the first time about the pain of losing his grandad - Kenneth, to a brain tumour.

"My whole world was crumbling"

“It felt like my whole world was crumbling. We were only just dealing with my nan’s death, when my grandad collapsed the day after her funeral. I remember rushing him to the hospital”, said Jake.

“To hear them say he had a brain tumour and just six months to live was like a punch to the gut. In fact, he died just two weeks later aged 80. My grandad was put on a drip to help reduce the swelling in his brain, but honestly, we knew it was a temporary fix. The brain tumour was leading to significant complications and grandad was having seizures. He began to fade so quickly, I could see it in his eyes”, he added.

Making happy memories

Watching Kenneth deteriorate was difficult, but Jake made sure their final weeks together were spent making happy memories and enjoying each other’s company.

“To watch someone so strong and go through this, it was hard to process. In those final weeks, I focused on cherishing the moments we had left together. I remember sitting with him, reminiscing about the family gatherings, laughing over old stories, and just enjoying being together. I took him on short walks in the garden. It’s these memories that matter more than anything else when I look back,” reflected Jake.

"I don't want anyone else to experience what we went through"

Now Jake has decided to honour his grandad’s memory by raising money for Cancer Research Wales’s Brain Tumour Research Initiative, as he explained:

“I don’t ever want anyone else to experience what grandad and us went through when we lost him to the brain tumour and this is why I’m supporting Cancer Research Wales and its Brain Tumour Research Initiative.”

Groundbreaking research into brain tumours

Established in 2024, the Brain Tumour Research Initiative funds groundbreaking projects to research and find better treatments for brain tumours.

“We’re very grateful to Jake for taking on this incredible challenge in memory of his grandad. He’ll be climbing and descending Yr Wyddfa as many times as he can in 24 hours to raise funds to support our Brain Tumour Research Initiative, or BATRI as it’s also known,” said Adam Fletcher, Chief Executive Officer of Cancer Research Wales.

Essential Research

“BATRI is the first initiative of its kind in Wales and through it we are committing up to £1 million a year over five years to fund pioneering research in Wales into brain tumours, including central nervous system tumours and cancers that have spread to the brain.”

“With long-term survival rates for brain tumours having shown little improvement over the last 30 years, with less than 15% of patients currently surviving 10 years or more after their diagnosis, this research is essential. It’s thanks to the support of Jake and all our wonderful fundraisers that we are able to do this”, adds Adam Fletcher.