Carmarthen man living with Parkinson’s raises £2,000 for charity through golf fundraiser

A MAN from Carmarthen, Carmarthenshire, who is living with Parkinson’s, has raised £2,000 for charity Parkinson’s UK after organising a golf fundraiser.

75-year-old Richard Morris, was diagnosed with the condition in November 2014, having received treatment for tremors for a number of years.

Parkinson’s is the fastest growing neurological condition in the world, and currently there is no cure. It affects around 145,000 people in the UK, including 7,600 in Wales. There are over 40 symptoms, from tremor and pain to anxiety.

Richard was the Seniors Captain at the Glyn Abbey Golf Club from January 2021 till January 2022, and used this opportunity to raise vital funds for the charity.

Richard said: ”The impact on my daily life is immense. The symptoms have affected the way I use a keyboard, phone, put food to my mouth without shaking it off my fork and do up my buttons. As a golfer, being a shaky putter does nothing for your score. The Glyn Abbey Seniors are very supportive and I thank them for that. I hope my efforts will be a small step towards finding a cure to help all those that follow in my footsteps.

“As someone living with Parkinson’s, I am lucky to be playing golf with a wonderful group of lads. It gives me the exercise that sitting in a chair will not do. For anyone living with Parkinson’s, I recommend going for a walk, joining a club or support group and enjoying the life you have to the fullest.”

Parkinson’s UK is the largest European charitable funder of Parkinson’s research, leading the way in driving better care, treatments and quality of life for those with the condition.

Ann Rowe, Head of Regional Fundraising at Parkinson’s UK, said:

“We are so grateful to Richard for raising money in aid of Parkinson’s UK.

“With more than 40 potential symptoms, Parkinson’s can devastate lives. We’ve made huge breakthroughs in the last 50 years, but there is still no cure and current treatments are not good enough. Fundraisers like Richard help us to drive forward the groundbreaking research we need to transform the lives of people affected by the condition.”