A Birmingham group presented a cheque for £500 to the charity Parkinson’s UK.

Members of the Birmingham Branch of the Association of Secretaries raised the money by holding a car boot sale in the summer, raffles throughout the year and collecting twenty pence pieces in Smarties tubes and proudly handed over the cheque to Regional Fundraiser Gayle Kelly on 15th November 2018.

Parkinson's UK is the leading charity driving better care, treatments and quality of life for those with the condition. Its mission is to find a cure and improve life for everyone affected by Parkinson's through cutting edge research, information, support and campaigning.

The group decided to fundraise for Parkinson’s UK in memory of one of their longest serving members who lived with Parkinson’s for many years and sadly passed away in 2017.  Formed in 1988, with members in Birmingham, Walsall and Lichfield, the group have raised over £20,000 for different charities over the years.

Sue Morgan, secretary of the Birmingham Branch said:

“The branch closed in October and as it was our 30th anniversary this year, we wanted to choose a charity close to our hearts.  One of our member’s dad’s also recently passed away after living with Parkinson’s, so it’s something that has affected many of us in different ways and we really hope that our money will make a difference.”

Parkinson’s is a progressive neurological condition for which there is currently no cure and it affects 145,000 people in the UK including [121,927 in England / 12,184 in Scotland / 7,692 in Wales / 3,716 in Northern Ireland].

Parkinson’s UK estimate that there are more than 40 symptoms of the condition.  As well as the most widely known symptom - tremor - these range from physical symptoms like muscle stiffness to depression, anxiety, hallucinations, memory problems and dementia, but Parkinson’s affects everyone differently.

Gayle Kelly, Regional Fundraiser for Birmingham and the Black Country at Parkinson’s UK, said:

“Nobody should have to face Parkinson’s alone - or without hope that one day we’ll find better treatments and a cure.

“The money raised means that we can be there for more people when they need us most and invest in further research that will one day bring an end to the condition.

“So we’d like to say a huge thank you to the Birmingham Branch of the Association of Secretaries for fundraising for Parkinson’s UK.”