A CARE home based in Chipping Sodbury is showing their support for Parkinson’s Awareness Week (April 10-16) by running a number of events in April.

Bluebird Care South Gloucestershire want to raise awareness of Parkinson’s, a neurological condition that has no cure and affects around 127,000 people in the UK.

They will be hosting a tea, coffee and cake morning at Chipping Sodbury Baptist Church on Friday, April 7 between 11am and 1pm.

Members of the public are welcome to attend, according to Jo Craythorne, Customer Service Manager.

She added: “We have a local school choir coming to sing for us.

“They have learnt some songs that we can all join in with, and the children will talk with older members of the community as part of our intergenerational project. 

“There will also be a ‘Guess the Weight’ of the cake competition and the winner will receive the cake as the prize.”

A Skittles Night will also take place on Friday, April 21 for Bluebird care workers, who have been asked to donate £2 to Parkinson’s UK.

Sophie Whitfield, Director of Bluebird Care South Gloucestershire, said: “It is important to us at Bluebird Care to support campaigns such as Parkinson’s Awareness Week, as it is likely that our very own customers may be living with this condition.

“Being in the care sector, we have a platform to raise awareness of this campaign in our community and support local fundraising activities to help fund Parkinson’s UK amazing research.”

Around 1 in 500 people in the UK have Parkinson’s, but the last major breakthrough for the condition was over 50 years ago.

At present, drugs only mask the condition, and cannot slow down, stop or reverse the effects of the disease.

The main three symptoms of Parkinson's are involuntary shaking, slow movement and stiff, inflexible muscles, according to the NHS website.

Parkinson's Awareness Week runs from April 10-16, with World Parkinson's Day falling on April 11. The day marks 200 years since Parkinson's was first recognised as a medical condition.