A great friend of mine lost his Dad to Progressive Supranuclear Palsy in February 2024. It is a rare condition which is very difficult to diagnose. Chris Ridehalgh was 78 after what was a long torturous battle that none of his family truly understood until the last few months. In reality, it started years before which we everyone mistook for aging. Chris was a super fit 70 odd year old man but signs started to show. He couldn't do some simple tasks. My friend Christian remembers playing snooker with his Dad in 2019 and took great pleasure in hammering him. Apparently he was useless which at the time Christian took great glee over but looking back it was apparent he was losing his coordination. As lockdown started, Chris seemed to become more withdrawn. He had no interest in going to the gym or even going on his daily exercise walk. On our family Zoom calls, he didn't want to sit for the entirety and would leave. His GP believed he was suffering from depression as did the family. As time passed by, there were more signs. He was struggling to get words out and other simple tasks like putting toothpaste onto his toothbrush became impossible.

It soon became apparent that his illness was more sinister as his speech declined to an extent that he could no longer string a sentence together, he regularly fell and he lost the ability to read. He was diagnosed with dementia but after a few months of more tests, for the first time the family discovered they were dealing with something called PSP. No cure, just a realisation that it will be a steady decline for Chris. Eventually, he couldn't get any words out and started to suffer from excruciating pain from cramping throughout his body. He died just a few months after his diagnosis with his wife by his side. She was there as his rock and support.

He was a brilliant man, a proud Chartered Accountant where he, alongside his 2 partners, grew an accountancy practice into one of the best and most highly regarded firms in Lancashire (his words apparently!). His family was everything. He had 56 happy years with his wife. He had children, including my great friend Christian, and he was a brilliant Grandad of 7 grandchildren.

He believed in fairness. He had the biggest heart, a wonderful smile, was a terrible joke teller and had a kindness like no other.

So, to support my friend Christian, and his family, I have decided raise money and join a few others to walk 43 miles around the Gower Peninsula for the PSPA charity on the 23rd and 24th May. The Gower was an area that Christian's Dad really enjoyed.

Please therefore donate what you can to support this excellent cause in memory of Christian's Dad. And to support the only UK charity dedicated to creating a better future for everyone affected by Progressive Supranuclear Palsy and Corticobasal Degeneration.

They provide information and support to enable families living with PSP & CBD to live their best possible lives; Improving the quality of life for people living with the condition via research and awareness raising; Putting the voice of the PSP & CBD community at the heart of everything they do.