Celebrating our campaigning achievements

Passionate campaigners across England came together to celebrate our successes from the past year and plan our next national campaign. 

Opening the conference

Juliet Tizzard, Director of External Relations at Parkinson's UK, welcomed attendees and celebrated the successes of volunteers over the last year.

Watch a video recap of these campaign successes on YouTube.

Anne Ferrett, a campaign volunteer, hosted the conference. She shared her inspiration for campaigning after hearing a story of someone who had died as a result of not receiving their Parkinson’s medication on time while in hospital. This resonated with her, as her Mum who lived with Parkinson’s experienced similar problems when in hospital.

Campaigners Chris Maycock and Peter Miller shared their insights and challenges from their work. Chris successfully lobbied key stakeholders in the South West to make improvements to the Plymouth Home Based Care Pathway, and Peter secured improvements in his local NHS Trust in the South East.

Generating ideas for our Can’t Wait campaign

The spotlight then shifted to our Can’t Wait campaign.

Launched in 2022, we were successful in encouraging the Conservative government to develop a long-term NHS workforce plan. 

We now have a new government and the Parkinson's community still experiences long delays for treatment. We are relaunching the campaign to put pressure on the government to take urgent action to address the staff shortages. This year, our focus is on Parkinson’s nurses.

Grace Ogden, Campaigns Engagement Lead at Parkinson's UK, outlined the campaign and how volunteers can take action. We then spent the rest of the conference generating ideas to make our campaign stand out with the NHS and media across England.

Attendees of the conference fed back how the event improved their understanding of how campaigning works at Parkinson’s UK and they were inspired by our successes.

Juliet Tizzard, said: 

“What an inspiring event. Making positive change takes persistence, imagination and courage. The Campaigner Conference reminded us all that Parkinson's campaigners have all those qualities in spades. Keep going: we're right by your side.”

Closing on a high

The conference concluded with a poignant poem read by Anne, which her mother wrote. It encapsulated the spirit of the event and reinforced the commitment to continue to fight for change.

“I like the way my medication
Follows me around
Whatever I am doing
I am certain to be found.
It wakes me in the morning about six
To make sure I get my daily fix.
At eleven I am in activity
My little pill comes after me
When in my room at four
My medicine knocks at the door.
I've had it in the loo
And in the bathroom too
And keeping time at night, pills wait
To end the day at just on eight.
My daily pills are pink and blue
My night ones a darker hue
And I praise the dedication
Of my mobile medication.”

Watch a recording of our Campaigner Conference 2025 on YouTube.