Your local community in England
Get involved and take action to drive change in your local community. Find out what we’re doing near you, who to contact, and how to get involved.
People with Parkinson’s, along with scientists and supporters, fundraisers and families, carers and clinicians, are coming together to tackle the most important local issues.
We’re here to listen, learn, support, and connect you with a bigger network of community action. Together, we’ll do what it takes to ensure our work regionally best meets local needs.
Our area development managers are our key local staff who work with the Parkinson's community to shape local development plans that:
-
bring people together locally to identify priorities, make plans and take action
-
collaboratively help protect health and care services for people with Parkinson’s and push for their improvement.
Want to get involved? Find your region below to see your current local community development plans and how to contact your local area development manager.
North East England and Cumbria
How to get involved:
- Connect with people with Parkinson's and their friends and family by joining local groups, Parkinson's cafes, and physical activity classes.
- Work with us to meet regional priorities to improve access to exercise and high quality health services, and reach more people living with Parkinson's.
- Meet people with Parkinson's with a passion for keeping active and setting up new exercise opportunities.
- Get in touch to join our local Staying Active with Parkinson's newsletter.
Contact your local area development manager for more information:
- Kirsty McDowell (Tees Valley, County Durham, South Tyneside and Sunderland), [email protected], 0344 225 3601, read the Tees Valley, County Durham and Darlington, South Tyneside and Wearside community development plan.
- Linny Rubra (Newcastle, Gateshead, Northumbria, Cumbria and North Tyneside), [email protected], 0344 225 3604.
North West England
How to get involved:
- Connect with people with Parkinson’s by joining local groups, Parkinson’s Cafes, sing-along sessions, and working age meet-ups.
- Join online and in-person research events as part of the North West Research Interest Group.
- Meet people with Parkinson’s with a passion for keeping active. Have a go at walking football, dancing, Nordic walking and much more, or work with us to establish more physical activity opportunities locally.
- Help us improve the understanding of Parkinson’s amongst health and social care professionals.
Contact your local area development manager for more information:
- Helen Sturman (Greater Manchester), [email protected], 0300 123 3672, read the Greater Manchester community development plan.
- Emma Hughes (Cheshire, Merseyside & Lancashire), [email protected], 0300 123 3683, read the Cheshire community development plan.
Yorkshire and Humber
How to get involved:
- Connect with people with Parkinson’s by joining local groups, Parkinson’s Cafes, and working age meet-ups.
- Meet people with Parkinson’s with a passion for keeping active and setting up new physical activity opportunities. We're particularly keen to know what opportunities for staying active and being social in North and North East Lincolnshire you'd like. We know lots of organisations that want to set up activities in your area.
- Help improve the understanding of Parkinson’s amongst health and social care professionals.
- Find out how England Golf can support you to get back to, start, or keep playing golf at your local club.
Contact your local area development manager for more information:
- Tracy Westgarth (North, East, South Yorkshire and Humber), [email protected] 0344 225 3630, read the North, South & East Yorkshire, North & North East Lincolnshire community development plan.
- Helen Sturman (West Yorkshire), [email protected], 0300 123 3672, read the West Yorkshire community development plan.
East Midlands
How to get involved:
- Help us provide social opportunities for your local Parkinson's community by volunteering with one of our local groups, cafes, or pub meetups.
- If you don't have a particular activity near you and would like to start one, get in touch to chat your ideas over!
- Support the work of our Parkinson’s East Midlands Research Interest Group, which provides an accessible platform to learn more about developments in Parkinson’s research.
- Become a Campaigns Volunteer and help us make a real difference to people living with Parkinson’s in the East Midlands and beyond.
Contact your local area development manager for more information:
- Katie Smith, [email protected], 0344 225 9863, read the East Midlands community development plan.
West Midlands
Herefordshire and Worcestershire; Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin; Birmingham and Solihull; Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent; Black Country and West Birmingham:
How to get involved:
- Work with us to help ensure we're reaching underserved communities, particularly people from diverse ethnic backgrounds in Birmingham and the Black Country. We want to make sure their voices are involved in planning and developing our services.
- Join our service improvement workshops. We're working with health services across the West Midlands to make sure voices of the Parkinson's community are included in work to improve healthcare delivery.
- Help provide more physical activity opportunities for people living with Parkinson's. We can help with awareness training, grants, local contracts, and more.
Contact your local area development manager for more information:
- David Swindells (West Midlands), [email protected], 0344 225 3620, read the West Midlands community development plan.
Coventry and Warwickshire
How to join in and get involved:
- Help us create more local opportunities for people who are newly diagnosed, of working age, or carers for people with Parkinson's to build connections and provide peer support.
- Work with us to help people navigate the healthcare system and get the right support at the right time.
Contact your local area development manager for more information:
- Abi White (Coventry and Warwickshire), [email protected], 0300 123 3678, read the Coventry and Warwickshire community development plan.
Eastern England
How to get involved:
- Help us improve health and care services by sharing your stories. We're particularly interested to hear about your experiences of getting medication on time in hospital. We also want to hear about your access to neuro-specialist physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy and neuro clinical psychology in Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex.
- Meet other people with Parkinson’s and keep active. Have a go at boxing, table tennis, voice workshops, dancing, Parkinson's-specialist intensive circuit classes, Nordic walking, walking football, and more.
- Join the East of England Research Interest Group to find out about current Parkinson’s research and how to take part.
- Help us provide social opportunities for the Parkinson's community.
Contact your local area development manager for more information:
- Kecia Harris (Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex) [email protected], 0300 123 3676.
- Julie Wilson (Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire), [email protected], 0300 123 3675.
South Central England
Thames Valley: Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire
How to get involved:
- Connect with people with Parkinson’s by joining local groups, Parkinson’s Cafes, and working age meet-ups.
- Meet people with Parkinson’s with a passion for keeping active and help set up new exercise opportunities.
- Help improve health and care services by sharing your experiences or campaigning with us.
Contact your local area development manager for more information:
- Abi White (Thames Valley: Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire), [email protected], 0300 123 3678, read the Thames Valley community development plan.
- Vacant role (Hampshire and Isle of Wight).
South East England
How to get involved:
- Connect with people with Parkinson’s by joining local groups, Parkinson’s Cafes, and working age meet-ups.
- Meet people with Parkinson’s with a passion for keeping active and help set up new physical activity opportunities.
- Help improve health and care services by sharing your experiences or campaigning with us.
Contact your local area development manager for more information:
- Alistair Jack (Surrey and West Sussex) [email protected], 0344 225 9848, read the Surrey community development plan, read the Sussex community development plan.
- Janine Starling (Kent and East Sussex), [email protected], 0344 225 3660, read the Kent community development plan.
South West England and the Channel Islands
How to get involved:
- Connect with other working age people with Parkinson’s as part of the Live Well with Parkinson’s project.
- Get involved with our local campaigns for additional Parkinson’s nurses and better access to medication in hospitals.
- Volunteer and help us to connect more people with Parkinson’s living in rural areas.
- Join us at information events across the region and help us engage with more people with Parkinson's from diverse communities.
Contact your local area development manager for more information:
- Neil Smart, [email protected], 0344 225 3690.
- Vacant role (Dorset and Wiltshire only).
London
How to get involved:
- Help us improve health and care services by sharing your experiences. We're particularly interested to hear about your experiences of being in hospital.
- Meet people with Parkinson’s with a passion for keeping active and help set up new exercise opportunities.
- Connect with people living with Parkinson’s, carers of loved ones with the condition, and people who are newly diagnosed.
- Help us taise awareness of the support available to more people with Parkinson’s, including ethnic minorities, the LGBTQ+ community, people living in care homes, and working age people living with Parkinson's.
Contact your local area development manager for more information:
- Satpal Ghatora (North London), [email protected], 0344 225 3700.
- Terri Dorman (South London), [email protected], 0344 225 3622.
If you have Parkinson’s, or you know someone who has, we’ll help you find the support and activities you need, local to you.
Search for your local group, plus other local services, activities and support for people with Parkinson's and the people who love and care for them
Our helpline and local advisers can support anyone with Parkinson's, their family or friends. Call 0808 800 0303 to get in touch.