Andy regularly visits a Dorset farm run by charity Countrymen UK, founded by Julie Plumley after her father John was diagnosed with Parkinson’s.
The 30-acre working farm sells beef and lamb. In the yard, instead of tractors is a fleet of mobility scooters. “The farmers come here not because they’re ill,” Julie explains, “but because they want to get on with living.”
Parkinson’s Disease is believed to be the world’s fastest-growing neurological condition. It affects neurons in a specific area of the brain called the substantia nigra.
It is degenerative, gradually leading to tremors and stiffness in the limbs. Global studies show rural, agricultural areas often have higher rates of the disease.
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