Sydenham Arts have been supporting members of our local community who are living with Parkinson's Disease since 2019, through our pioneering Moving with Parkinson's programme.

During this time, we've been supported by a number of different funders; unfortunately, there is only finite funding available for specific causes like this. Now, in 2023, we're seeking some support from our local community to help continue this project, whilst we await other funding streams to become available to us.

What We're looking for
This programme was designed to fill a significant gap in support for individuals living with Parkinson's which can have a huge impact on day-to-day life. As such, we try wherever we can to keep this project running year round.

We're looking for people, where they can, to sign up for monthly donations, although individual donations are equally welcome.
If 30 people signed up to give £10 a month for a year, our project would be fully funded!

About Parkinson's and Our Programme
Parkinson's is a progressive neurological condition. Gradually over time, the brain becomes more damaged, effecting movement due to a lack of dopamine which helps to control movement. The three most common and identifiable symptoms of Parkinson's are a tremor (shaking), slowness of movement, and stiffening of muscles. These lead to a number of issues with mobility, and, as symptoms gradually become more severe, can make it difficult to complete simple day-to-day actions.
Other symptoms often also affect people with the condition, including memory-loss or thinking problems, pain, sleep problems, difficulty projecting voice (i.e. a weak or quiet voice), depression and anxiety.
There is currently no cure for Parkinson's.

Moving With Parkinson's was inspired by our desire to be involved in supporting people from our community to have access to support, a network of others living with the condition, and to provide physical relief, exercise and strengthening to slow down the impact of Parkinson's.

We have developed a programme which makes exercise and activity fun, through bringing a creative side to sessions. Our work, currently led by performer, devisor, and personal trainer Leah Georges incorporates lots of different techniques, and is completely unique. It offers a much needed alternative and additional support to clinical settings.
We run sessions each week, which are followed by Tea, Biscuits, and a good old natter!

Your support would make a world of difference; also, by supporting this project, you'll be helping to have a transformative impact on a local person's quality of life.

Please support in any way you can. We'll provide regular updates on how this campaign is going, and about the work we do!

For more info, or if you know someone who might benefit from our sessions, check out our website here.