As many of you know, our Mum has had Parkinson's Disease for the past 5 years.  Parkinson's is a chronic, progressive disorder of the central nervous system that affects the control of body movements and can, as in Mum's case, cause hallucinations and memory problems.  She has become virtually housebound and Dad is her carer.  It's been difficult for Dad to deal with the huge change in their lives, but he is doing brilliantly and can even boil an egg now!

The last 6 months have been particularly tough trying to get Mum's medication right and the Parkinson's Disease Society have been a good source of information.  Every sufferer reacts differently to the drugs available so it's been a case of trial and error.  She's quite stable at the moment and hopefully this will continue for as long as possible.

Over a glass or 2 of wine my brother and I decided that we wanted to do something positive for Mum.  So, once I'd got the green light from my physio we set about finding a challenge.  We orginally booked a trek to the tree plantations in Sri Lanka but we were the only 2 people prepared to be shot at, so the Himalayas it is! A much harder challenge than we'd originally planned but that's a good thing (I think!)

We start and finish in Dharamsala where the Dalai Lama and Tibetan Community are exiled to.  We will follow the Uhl River on mountain paths trekking for 6 days, for between 5-8 hours per day, all in the shadow of some of the worlds highest peaks.

I've been in training since before Xmas and am hoping that the 5.30am starts pay off.  Dave's going all out by walking to the pub ...

The money raised will help the Parkinson's Disease Society fund research, PD Nurse Specialists and give support to sufferers and their families.

It would be great if you could sponsor us. We have paid the full cost of the trip, so all the money that you donate will go directly to the charity.

Gill and Dave