To mark World Parkinson’s Day on Wednesday, April 11, the Huddersfield Branch of the charity Parkinson’s UK is hosting a drop-in event to raise awareness and provide information for patients and carers.
The event is being held at Huddersfield Town Hall from 10am until 2.30pm. The Mayor of Kirklees, Cllr Christine Iredale, is attending from noon and the On Song choir, made up of people with Parkinson’s and their carers, is to perform at 1pm. Entry is free.
Around 1 in 500 people in the UK have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s, a disease which causes loss of mobility, tremors and a wide range of other neurological symptoms. In the UK as a whole there are 146,000 Parkinson’s patients – a figure that is set to grow to 168,000 by 2025.
The disease attacks the nerve cells that produce dopamine, an important chemical messenger in the brain. There is no cure as yet but organisations such as Parkinson’s UK are funding research into the condition.
