Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. My friend Bill has Parkinsons Disease. It is seriously affecting his speech and mobility. It gets worse with time. Despite intensive research, neither a cure nor its cause has been found. It is the fastest growing disease in the world.

Bill’s company, the Haley Group, supported me representing England in Athletics. Bill is a graduate of Bristol University, which has a specialist research unit engaged in finding practical ways to help Parkinson people lead normal lives.

At the age of 83, I ran in the Chester Marathon to raise funds for that unit. My legs had a bad day and I missed the time limit, so had to withdraw at 11.9 miles. More details and sweepstake result below. I've also entered the Manchester Marathon (April 2027). These are not mere formalities. Last year, only seven British athletes (four men and three women), in their eighties, completed an official marathon, somewhere in the world.

The Professor of Ageing and Movement Disorders at Bristol Medical School is Emily Henderson. She leads the Proactive and Integrated Management and Empowerment in Parkinson’s Disease (PRIME-Parkinson UK) which is a portfolio of research seeking to radically innovate and evaluate care for people living with Parkinson’s and related conditions.

Prof Henderson's research focuses on how we care for people with the Parkinson's, and whether that care can fundamentally change their experience, and potentially the trajectory, of the disease. Her research has found that a new care model has a demonstrably positive impact on the lives of people living with Parkinson's. The innovations in this programme will positively shape future care and is made possible by the generous philanthropy of University of Bristol alumni and friends.

Photographs show me at Swansea Half Marathon (main) and Bristol Half Marathon, in 2025, and then the recent Somerset 10k, and Burnham half marathon.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity. I confirm that all of your gift will go to the Parkinson Unit at Bristol University.The page will remain open for donations until 9th January.

Message from Bill Haley:

Unfortunately Peter did not finish and stopped at 11.9 miles. His legs wouldn’t carry him another yard. He was the oldest man in the marathon. At 83 he was the only runner in the over 80’s category. So by any measure he won his age group. No other over 80 started and so could not finish in front of him.

The person who came the closest to guessing this outcome was John O’Brien. John selected 7.6 miles( 4.3 miles less). John is a realist.

John Haley had selected 18.6miles (6.7 miles more), Bill Haley had 19.2 miles ( 7.3 miles more) and Lexie Gower had selected 20.5 miles ( 8.6 miles further).

The winner of £250 is therefore John O’Brien

Well done!

Bill.

Thank you to Bill Haley for donating the £250😂. It certainly made it interesting.

Peter.

Although the marathon has finished, you can still make contributions to this effective Bristol University Parkinson research, unit until January 9th. Keep spreading the news.”