Walkers and golfers raise £20k for Parkinson's

Tens of thousands of pounds have been raised in memory of the Suffolk and Norfolk men and women who have died following battles with Parkinson’s disease.

Walk for Parkinson’s saw 193 people stroll around the Ickworth Estate, in Suffolk, raising more than £16,000 for Parkinson’s UK.

The Bungay and Waveney Valley Golf Club, on the Norfolk and Suffolk border, also generated £4,547 for the charity after staging a golf day.

The charity said the windfall would be used to fund vital research to try to find better treatments and a cure for the condition, which at least two people are diagnosed with every hour in the UK.

Parkinson's disease is a condition in which parts of the brain become progressively damaged over many years, with symptoms including involuntary shaking and slow movement.

Those who took part walked either a two-mile or 5.7-mile route around the National Trust property in Horringer near Bury St Edmunds.

Attendees could also add the names of those they were walking for to a giant washing line of papers, honouring their loved ones.

Rhiain Grummet took part alongside her grandad who is fighting Parkinson’s.

"My grandad expressed a desire to take part, so as a family we choose to support him and join in to," she said.

"We have seen the impact the condition can really have on people’s lives.

"Grandad shocked us by keeping up a fantastic pace the whole way and refusing a rest. We are so proud of him."

The golf day was organised by Ben Beaugeard, 59, in memory of and as a tribute to his life-long friend and former golfer Steve Pye, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s from 2021 but died two years later aged 54.

Mr Beaugeard said his friend introduced him to golf and the pair joined Barnham Broom Golf Club, west of Norwich, at the same time.

"The idea of a golf day came naturally, as golf was a significant part of Steve’s life," he said.

"We also saw it as an opportunity to raise funds for Parkinson’s UK, which had been a source of support for Steve and his family.

“Steve’s passion for golf was infectious and greatly influenced my involvement in the sport over the past 34 years.”

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