Your Champions: Halton Parkinson’s Support Group nominated for team award

Oct 21 2010 by Daniel Mckenzie, Runcorn and Widnes Weekly News

A SUPPORT group in Runcorn, which helps to improve the quality of life for people with Parkinson's disease, has been nominated for the Team of the Year in the Trinity Mirror/ScottishPower Your Champions awards.

Earlier this year Halton Parkinson’s Support Group invited people suffering from the illness, along with their carers, families and friends, to join the group, which offers practical advice on living with the illness.

HPSG works alongside two specialist medical centres that provide information classes on treatment, improving diet and exercise sessions to combat loss of movement.

Members also benefit from respite trips, entertainment events and a five-day holiday every year.

Myra Brolly has been the group’s secretary since it was set up more than 25 years ago.

She said: “We understand that it can be hard for those with Parkinson’s to come along. They often fear people will not understand the illness and will judge them. The disease really knocks the confidence so we do our best to build that back up.

“If we can just get people to overcome the fear of that first meeting, they'll see that the best thing about the group is it gives people the confidence to go back out into the community.

Parkinson’s is a progressive neurological disease which affects the body’s movement, making tasks such as walking, talking and writing very difficult.

It is estimated four million people worldwide have Parkinson’s – there is no cure and no definite cause.

In the UK one in 500 people have the disease with 10,000 new diagnoses every year.

HPSG helps people meet other sufferers and carers who understand what they are going through.