LOCAL actor, Peter Halpin, will attempt to complete 100 laps of Victoria Park this Friday (30th April) to raise money for Parkinson’s UK.
Peter, who recently moved to Frome from Folkestone after visiting the area during lockdown last year, estimates it will take him 10 hours to walk and run the 30-mile circuit.
“It’s 100 laps because Sir Capt. Tom Moore’s family have requested people do things for charity on the weekend of what would be his 101st birthday around the number 100,” explained Peter.
“I’m not exactly a health and fitness aficionado, so this is quite an ask of my lockdown-enlarged being!”
About why he has chosen to raise money for Parkinson’s UK, Peter said, “My dad has been diagnosed with the disease for over 20 years. He was diagnosed in his 40s. I am now in my 40s.
“He has handled it with extraordinary strength, acceptance and humour. Parkinson’s slowly took away his ability to work, to drive, to play golf that he so loved, and eventually his ability to walk and do what a lot of take for granted as the most basic everyday tasks. And yet he still smiles…when he can.
“The Covid year has, like for many, resulted in my weight increasing quite a lot! It has also meant I have only had sight of my dad by video and conversing with someone with long onset Parkinson’s is not easy via a screen or system he doesn’t really understand.
“I last saw dad in person at Christmas 2019. I’d like to give him and other people with Parkinson’s a mid-year present, and to do that I need your help and kind, generous donations. I’m not expecting to raise the £30 million that Sir Capt. Tom Moore did, but if I can exhaust myself for a day in order to raise enough to make a difference if only to one life if not a few lives, then I will be very happy.”
To support Peter and donate to Parkinson’s UK, visit the website: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/not-a-walk-in-the-park
