A THORNBURY woman is celebrating after having hosted a successful garden party and barbecue to raise funds for Parkinson’s UK.

Sally Derham, 58, from the town held the party in her back garden on Saturday, August 30 in memory of her dad Tom Wixon, who passed away two years ago, aged 85 after living with Parkinson’s for several years.

Over 100 of Sally’s friends, family and local people living with Parkinson’s attended and they raised a fantastic £2,515.

She said: “I held a garden party last year to raise funds for Parkinson’s UK and managed to raise over £1,500. The party was such a success, I decided to do it all again this year.

“It was great to see so many smiling faces and everyone seemed to have a good time. I’d like to thank all of the local businesses who generously donated prizes for the raffle and to everyone who attended”.

Sally’s husband, Dave, 58, plays in a band called Stones in the Road and was on hand to provide a range of covers from classics songs.

A pledge auction and raffle also took place and many local businesses donated prizes including: Newgate Construction, Elite Beauty Therapies, Joelle hairdressers, Gems of Thornbury, WHSmith, Co-op, Hawkes House, Shelly's Café and Christopher's Barbers.

Sally has been involved with Parkinson’s UK for a number of years. She has been holding regular coffee mornings for people living with Parkinson’s and their families locally in Thornbury for the past two and a half years.

Paul Jackson-Clark, director of fundraising at Parkinson’s UK, said: “I’d like to say a big thank you to Sally for organising such a fantastic and entertaining event. Hosting a Party for Parkinson’s is a fun and enjoyable way to raise vital funds to support our work with people with Parkinson’s in the South West.

“We are incredibly grateful to Sally for her support. I hope Sally’s story will inspire others to host their own Party for Parkinson’s in the future.”

To find out more about holding a Party and to request a free information pack visit: www.parkinsons.org.uk/party, call 020 7963 3912 or email: fundraising@parkinsons.org.uk.