Our volunteers do amazing things. From helping at our events to supporting research, they're improving the lives of everyone affected by Parkinson's.  

If you would like to find out more about becoming a volunteer and supporting the branch please contact pukbristolsecretary@gmail.com 

February 2025 -  a message from the committee - can YOU help?

Dear Branch Members and Friends,

You’ll have seen our regular updates about a number of activities we organise in support of, and for, our members. Hopefully many of you have enjoyed taking part too.

Behind the scenes, we run a mailing list, a website and send out regular updates to members, not to mention keeping our finances, accounts and house in order.

You’ll probably then not be surprised to hear that this all takes time and effort from what is an entirely voluntary committee. Yet in the last year or so, for one reason or another, we’ve lost a few volunteers and, as a result, the workload on those remaining increases. We’d like to replace those we lost and yet we’re struggling to find new volunteers.

We’d therefore like to appeal to you and to your friends and family for help. Help in finding a few willing people who could help lighten the load on our committee. We don’t need much of their time - just a commitment to help a few hours a month and be willing to join our regular, monthly, committee meetings.

We particularly need:-

● A Chair for the committee

● Volunteers to help with ad/hoc projects and fundraising activities

● Volunteers to help organise speakers for branch meetings

● Help from people to support our regular activities.

● Anything else you think you can bring

If you, or someone you know can help, please do get in touch with us. Speak to any of the committee at the branch meetings; email the branch secretary at

PUKbrisolsecretary@gmail.com.

We’re adaptable and can tailor roles to your needs. We’re also open to new ideas. We really appreciate your support and help in keeping the group as active as it is.

Thanks in advance.

Tom, Galina, Oscar, Shaun, Jean and Nic

Tom has recently stepped down from the Committee - he shares some brief thoughts on his time as Committee Chair -

"I remember when I first joined the charity I had not long been diagnosed with PD and I was reluctantly coming to the end my teaching career. I met the then Chair, Richard Tazewell, and we got on almost immediately, having similar education backgrounds and similar committee experience with meetings for PTA and Governors. I found it good to talk to him and other people with PD, I grew to enjoy the activities I helped with as we had a sense of purpose, particularly bucket collections at big supermarkets where we would get to talk to people who had varying degrees of understanding of Parkinson's. As time progressed, we explored the benefits of exercise and set up several joint sessions with the MS society to our mutual benefit. Sadly, Covid put paid to these activities. The young onset group with their agenda (down the pub) was very active as it is now and I enjoyed helping to organise, and to take part in, these sessions.

Being on the committee has given me a sense of fulfilment and now I’m Branch President, I’m enjoying it even more. So why not give it a go, you may surprise yourself."

Tom Phipps (January 2025).