Our next support meeting will be on Saturday 3rd August at 10:30am at The Barratt Sports and Social Club, 42 Kingsthorpe Road, Northants, NN2 6HT starting at 10.30 am. Free coffee/tea on arrival.

We will be having a Bring and Buy to raise funds for the group - all items gratefully received. We hope to see you soon. 
For more details call Sue: (H) 01933 274856  (M) 07785 584793 email: [email protected] 

A great example of people with Parkinson's extending the hand of friendship and support to others affected by Parkinson's is the 'Younger Chaps Group' -  working title as they haven't decided on an official name as yet. This group of new friends meet every month or so.  Mostly they have a meal at a local pub but have tried bowling and snooker. 
This is a simple model of support and the group were introduced by Angela who felt they would all benefit by being in touch with others in similar situations.  The plan worked and they have a joke and a laugh but also help each other with the more difficult issues that Parkinson's can sometimes bring. 

If you are interested in being included in the next outing telephone Angela 07954 099 537 who will pass your details on.   

For the past 10 years I have been delighted that we have been privileged to have Angela as our branch Parkinson's Adviser. Many of us are very sad that Angela will no longer carry out this role ,although were aware that that role was becoming rather restricted and reduced by Parkinson's U.K. She will be very much missed .

Angela's visits were always lively, helpful and uplifting, this is apparent from all the lovely remarks I have been receiving from members since we heard the sad news. It is without doubt that everyone felt more confident and greatly uplifted after her visits .

Angela gave a great deal of her own time and energy improving the wellbeing and fitness of people with Parkinson's and their loved ones  and connecting people with professionals and people with like problems [a problem shared ]. Always giving far more than the 17 hours paid work, I know her car has delivered many a commode and item of equipment !

From the bottom of our hearts Angela we send you our love and best wishes for the future.

Place.  Junior leaders battalion RAOC 

Time. November /December 1959

Now after the summer and autumn camps and exercises, we are well into the daily routine and getting used to the discipline. But now winter was drawing nigh, the heating was not the greatest. Consisting of one stove in each room (no radiators) burning coal. Each room had a rota to keep the stove going all day and make sure that there's enough coal. With this onerous duty came great responsibility. We shortly found out that very often the coal supply for the day would have reached its limit which meant finding a solution rapidly or no heat. 
On the first occasion that this occurred on my watch I resolved the problem by wandering around to another house and then purloining a couple of buckets of coal. I didn't tell anyone. 
The next day nobody queried the loss of the coal from the other house. So I let it go but I did remark to one of the senior boy's that our House's stock was running low. Later in the day he came back to me and said that I was right and  the stock was more than just low. We went to the coal store for our house and there was a significant amount missing. So I quietly explained what happened the day before and that I taken it because the quarter masters store was closed. He said no problem but this was happening all over the camp so he asked if I was up for rectifying our shortage, I agreed and he went to get some mates to help in our upcoming enterprise. 
Later that night after lights out I was awakened by Phil Simmons (the senior boy) "come on buck's" he said "get dressed". So I did and followed him out of the block to meet a couple of his friends. Of we went slipping through the night using the shadows to hide us. Of course this was the first time I had done anything like this before and I found it exhilarating. After around 20 minutes we made it undetected past the camp perimeter patrols. These were supplied by the regimental depot across the road from our camp (we were not allowed to mount guard due to our age). Evading detection we managed to make our way back to the block with a bucket of coal each and each night for 3 nights we succeeded in our efforts. We then had a meeting and decided we would call a halt to the enterprise. 
After a couple of days we heard that a group of lads from another house got caught doing the same thing. So we decided that we were lucky, but in the end there was a good outcome. The senior boys in question had a quiet word with our house sergeant and the amount of fuel issued was increased. They could have done that in the beginning but it would not have been as much fun. 

Until the next time
Doug 

...all I know is when I was asked if I wanted to ride the cable from pier to beach I immediately said I would.

Looking back, the impromptu decision I made to take a ride on a zip wire set up from the end of the Bournemouth pier was a big part of the fun activities at the show. If I’m being honest, I’m almost certain I wouldn’t have done it if I’d have been fit and well, siting the length of the queue or the fuss and bother of the time away from the family as perfectly legitimate reasons why it would have been too much bother. Anyway, I could do it the next time we attended the show… blah, blah, blah. The fact I completed the challenge mean that years later I’m still ‘pushing back the walls of the bubble’ by simply writing about it.
Once in the queue, progress seemed to take an age. The disease gaining the perfect opportunity to cast doubt in my mind. Once you’ve let Parkinson’s feature in your thinking it can cause havoc with your plans. Instead of a sequence of rational thoughts seeing you complete a task or explore an idea, a series of knee-jerk reactions control that can leave you feeling isolated and confused.
Most people suffering with one of the most common symptoms of Parkinson’s [tremor] will tell you that if you continue to focus on the negatives then your ability to partially control the ‘shakes’ becomes impossible. This often leads to episodes of freezing, a situation where your feet become fixed to the floor for a totally random period!
The slow progress to the starting gate (or perhaps fear of the zip-wire itself) meant that more and more people had decided they’d had enough of waiting in-line, a steady flow of people exiting the queue at regular intervals. The exit points were at their busiest when the wobbly spiral staircase taking you up to the starting platform came into view.
A considerable test of character, a sort of ‘leap of faith’ was needed to take your place on the fabricated stairs as their temporary nature seemed to make them less than sturdy! 
However, at no time did I feel particularly unsafe. Indeed, I was almost welded in to my safety suit even before the final clip was locked in position almost preventing me from moving…and breathing. What did seem a little futile though was a safety ‘hard’ hat made from the thinnest gauge plastic I’d ever seen. Certainly, I’ve seen more substantial paper hats coming out of Christmas crackers.
I’ve been a little sceptical about the effectiveness of safety equipment since Hayley and I spent our fortnight away from work in Portugal in the July of 1997.

Portugal 1997

Unless you are an avid sun-worshipper, a complete change of your daily routine can only hold your attention for a few days before that too becomes a little tired and jaded. When the walk down to the sunbeds and a dip in the swimming pool are the most exciting part of your day, it’s time to try something different.
Seeking a change of scenery, Hayley and I decided to take a cab to Villamoura. A stunning marina full of beautiful restaurants, shops and some smaller units advertising everything from boat trips to Paragliding. 
We sat and listened to a discussion between one of the Paragliding team members and a family of three. Although I believe my tolerance towards our European cousins on the whole is pretty good, when you get down the list of countries reaching France and Germany, I do have to work significantly harder to remain ‘balanced’.
 Believing the family to be German (Shamefully, based entirely on the accent of the father of the family) I nearly walked-off. The thought of spending time on a boat off the coast of Portugal in the middle of the Mediterranean, trying to make small talk with a German couple and their son not anywhere close to topping my ‘To Do list’. After a public dressing down from Hayley, ‘we’ decided to press on. I’m so glad we did! The Germans went first, surprise! 
All seemed well as he donned the safety-harness and hat before walking to the platform at the back of the boat. The parachute was connected, a final thumbs-up and he was off.
Instantly, the chute climbed into the blue sky, pulling tight every strap and clip on the harness. 
Almost immediately, in what I thought was a Germanic celebratory song, or at least a chant to the gods of the motherland the father began to turn bright pink as he bellowed out the words to this less than catchy tune.
    It suddenly occurred to me that the poor man wasn’t singing, he was in agony: but why?  All became clear when the winch being wound back in double quick time brought the poor chap back down to the boat, the safety straps hadn’t been fitted properly. In what must have been agony, two heavy duty safety straps capable of towing a 7.5 tonne truck had been passed though the man’s legs. In what must have been a ‘snug’ fit before take-off must have become excruciatingly painful the second the parachute inflated 

    I must just finish this section by stating that my identification of the family as German was completely inaccurate, they were Dutch! It’s easy to make mistakes and on the grand scheme of things the last few paragraphs, where entirely accurate, are not intended to upset anyone. Honestly, it just made me chuckle.
 
Bournemouth Air Show – August 2016 (Cont’d).

The group in front of us were all trussed-up and ready to go were invited to listen to the Zip-Wire launch instructions;
 “Okay ladies and gentlemen, a member of our safety team will hook you on to the zip-wire. I will count down 3..2..1, the gate will open, all you have you do is wait for the gate then take a run and jump…ARE YOU READY?   
All went well, 3..2..1, the gate opened and they were off. I was so excited as I’ve always been a thrill seeker but after my Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) operation in August 2010 I’ve had to pick and choose the type of rollercoaster rides I go on very carefully, any damage to the hardware fitted in my head, neck and chest couldn’t be repaired easily.
    Finally, it was our turn. After what must have been a 45 minute wait we’d finally reached the front of the queue. Hardly able to contain my enthusiasm when the countdown started the poor chap got as far as 2, the gate opened prematurely and I was off!! 
I loved every second. All I could do was apologise to the 3 other members of the family who came down after me. The fact I had taken the ride despite the symptoms of Parkinson’s left me feeling fully charged for some time. Indeed, as I’m reading back through the whole episode I’m again flushed with pride on what was achieved on that sunny day in August 2016
    Sadly, despite me feeling as if I could pilot an RAF Typhoon jet fighter, the rest of the family missed the swagger in my walk as I returned to our spot on the beach only to find they’d long since decided to return to the hotel for the evening…typical! 
    
I’d just like to mention my extended family. Each member of ‘Team Ingram’ who are referred to throughout my book as the ‘cousins’ have at some point played a starring role in being overwhelmingly kind and considerate, often helping me in ways that can’t be easily understood by people don’t carry the burden of the disease.