Fareham and District Parkinson's group meets to celebrate Queen's Platinum Jubilee

The Fareham and District branch of Parkinson’s UK met at Crofton Community Centre – with dozens of people wearing red, white, and blue.

Those in attendance included people with Parkinson's, carers, and volunteers, and they had the local band 'Ukes of Wallington' performing for them.

Valerie Rossiter, chairman of the Fareham, Gosport district branch, was delighted with the turnout.

She said there is a large socially debilitating aspect to Parkinson’s, rendering it tough to socialise or do activities in public.

‘On the whole, it’s easy to become tied to the home, really, because of the difficulty in communicating and moving,’ she says.

By the end of the festivities, Valerie reported that they 'all went home smiling’.

She thought this a great achievement since restriction of mobility may cause this to be not such an easy feat.

Parkinson's is one of the major charities, as people with the disease, Valerie says, are not often supported.

Due to this, the local branch holds meetings every week, social events twice a month, exercise classes once a week, and sometimes organizes outings.

They also cater and offer support to cares, loved ones, and wider families of people with Parkinson’s.

As well as this, the Stubbington branch is in great supporter of the Rainbow Centre - an organisation that provides regimes of exercise and movement.

This is designed to improve mobility - with them also offering voice work, to aid communication skills.