Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

I am raising money to support Parkinson's UK, a charity that I volunteer for as part of my Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award. Through my volunteer work, I have seen the difference my local branch of the charity makes to people with Parkinson's and those around them. They run numerous activities from monthly coffee mornings, where people are given a chance to meet and chat, to singing groups, where they can express themselves and have fun with others affected by the disease. I really enjoy working with the charity and hope to raise as much money as I can for them.

Parkinson's is a charity that is close to my heart and my family. My grandfather was diagnosed with the disease when I was quite young and the Parkinson's nurses really helped him. Therefore I am keen to give back to them. So far, as well as volunteering at the coffee mornings, I have run a very successful fashion show with proceeds going to Parkinson's UK's Derby branch.

About Parkinson's:

Parkinson's is a progressive neurological condition. One person in every 500 has Parkinson's. That's about 127,000 people in the UK. Most people who get Parkinson's are aged 50 or over but younger people can get it too.

People with Parkinson's don't have enough of a chemical called dopamine because some nerve cells in their brain have died. Without dopamine people can find that their movements become slower so it takes longer to do things.

There's currently no cure for Parkinson's and it is not yet known why people get the condition. Parkinson's UK funds research into finding better treatments and ways to improve the quality of life for people with Parkinson's as well as trying finding a cure.

- See more at: http://www.parkinsons.org.uk/content/what-parkinsons#sthash.BzVqc9pT.dpuf