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In September this year, I am walking The Thames Path Challenge which follows England's best known river. My challenge will head upstream from Runnymede of Magana Carta fame, then on past some wonderful scenery to Henley for a total of 50 kilometres.

I am doing this in aid of Parkinson's UK in memory of my lovely mum.

Mum, known affectionately as Rosie, suffered with this wretched disease for 21 years before her death at the age of 76. For every day of those 21 years I watched a bit of my mum die and now her younger brother, my beloved Uncle Bob also suffers with this very debilitating disease.

My paternal grandmother also suffered with Parkinson’s and now my lovely mother-in-law is also a sufferer.

What is Parkinson's disease? It is a progressive neurological condition. People with it don't have enough of a chemical called dopamine because some nerve cells in their brain have died. Without dopamine people find that their movements become slower so it takes longer to do things. The loss of nerve cells in the brain causes the symptoms of Parkinson's to appear; the main symptoms of Parkinson's are tremor, rigidity and slowness of movement.

There's currently no cure for Parkinson's and we don't yet know why people get the condition. Parkinson's UK, fund research into finding better treatments and ways to improve the quality of life for people with it. Parkinson's UK is the support and research charity within the UK and they are leading the work to find a cure. 

If I can help in some small way to stop another person, another family suffering, then it will be worth all the effort.

This 50 kilometre walk will also be my own personal quest because for every kilometre I walk  will be equal to 1 year of my life as I am doing this before I turn the big 5 0!!!

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