Please note all of my activities will be self-funded so anything donated goes to the charity rather than the Darren Young Seychelles retirement fund!

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People that know Kate and I will already be aware of the impact Parkinson's Disease has had on our immediate family. For those that don't, Kate's father, Michael, was diagnosed with this life-changing disease many years ago. Over the years, as the debilitating effects such as tremors, rigidity and muscle stiffness increased, his quality of life began to deteriorate (although he always seemed to manage a pork pie or slice of hunt cake from Melton Mowbray!). Finding day-to-day activities very difficult meant he spent most of his time at the nursing home in his bedroom, where he felt most comfortable. Simple pleasures, which he still managed to enjoy, included watching whatever he could on Sky sports, history, politics, and trying to win a fortune on the scratch cards. His positivity and happiness came from his family by way of visits and updates. Very rarely did he venture out of his room. In fact I only recall him leaving that nursing home for non medical related things a couple of times, including visiting us all after Freddie's birth and to see Edward's (Kate's brother’s) new business. Any such trip was a battle in itself because of the planning that would need to go into it, the logistics of what was to happen and the almost certain coercing that would be required when the day eventually came. My view, having observed it first hand, is that Parkinson's doesn't just impact you physically; it hampers you mentally. The comfort of being in familiar surroundings with all the little things you need to get by become chains that tie you down. You lose self-confidence, you think you can't do the things you used to and you fear the outside. You become a prisoner in your own home. It's hard to imagine how something could affect somebody so much on a day-to-day basis. For this reason I've decided that even though I would run these races for my own benefit it might be nice to try and raise a bit of money in the process: to help improve awareness, give people hope and work towards funding medical initiatives. I'm not targeting some massive fundraising amount. The truth is I have no specific amount of money I want to raise. I just want to do something in memory of Michael, which may help others who face the same fate. I don't mind how much or little people want to give. Whatever they can afford would be great. I anticipate anything that people are able to donate will help and if I can collect all the pennies with this JustGiving page I'm sure the pounds will look after themselves. I'm grateful to you for taking the time to read all of this and I thank you for any donations you feel able to give. Darren.