Gallery
On Thursday 7th May we had another 'Tin Rattling' event at Tesco Store in Dorchester. Thank you to all who helped on the day. we wre pitched in the foyer at the store, a great position, where we made an amazing £485.42 which will go a long way to support local people living with Parkinson's. Thank you to the very generous people of Dorchester.
Oxford Bakery coach Trip 28th April.
What a great coach trip to Oxford Bakery, Alweston, on Tuesday 28th April. Following a short welcome and introduction by Steve Oxford, the 35 of us had a superb lunch supplied by the bakery before we had a tour of the very old and still fully functional bakery listening to Steve Oxford telling us of its fascinating history.
Photo - Our member Christine Sweetman assisting Steve Oxford.
Carl Beech came to our April meeting.
The inventor and designer of the BeechBand.
Carl Beech and two of his assistants came along to our April Branch meeting to talk to us about the events from his own Parkinson's journey which led to him inventing and designing his BeechBand. His talk was very passionate and resonated with many of our members.
Cake Sale at DCH. World Parkinson's Day.
Our fundraise Karen organised another cake sale at Dorset County Hospital on Friday 10th April. It was great to have the Mayor of Dorchester, Andy Canning, to help with the sale. The cake was all sold in less than two and a half hours making a splendid £526.53. Thank you to Karen, The Mayor and all who helped on the day.
Photo L-R Hazel Coleman (Parkinson's Nurse) Andy Canning (Mayor) Mike Vosper (Chairman) Karen Bayliss (Fundraising and Organiser)
'Tin Rattling' at Asda in Weymouth
and awareness stall for World Parkinson's Day
Thank you to all who helped on our tin rattling and awareness stall at Asda Store on Thursday 9th April 2026 as part of our World Parkinson's Day celebrations. We collected a grand total of £203.16 from the lovely people of Weymouth.
Dorchester Bowls Club Bates Trophy
Thank you to Pauline Bates (holding the trophy) for organising the annual Bowls Tournament for the Bates Trophy on Saturday 7th March 2026. The proceeds of this tournament and subsequent raffle were donated to our local branch of Parkinson's UK to benefit local people living with Parkinson's. A big thank you to Pauline and the Dorchester Bowls Club for your generous donation of £363.68p.
Donation from Dorchester Masons
Martin Goodall the master of the Dorchester Lodge of Masons for 2025, adopted the Weymouth and Dorchester Branch of Parkinson's UK as his chosen charity during his tenure as the Master. At our January meeting Martin attended the hall and presented Mike with a cheque for £1600. This kind donation will benefit many local people living with Parkinson's. Thank you to Martin and the Dorchester Lodge.
Theatre Outing
Friday 2nd January 2026
On Friday 2nd January 2026 a group of 21 of us enjoyed the Matinee performance of Jack and the Beanstalk at the Weymouth Pavilion. The two and a half hour show was fun filled, loud and enjoyed by all who attended.
Parkinson's Christmas Lunch 2025
Christmas 2025
A return to The Rembrandt Hotel for our 2025 Christmas Lunch. 63 members booked the lunch this year. Again, the service was great and the food was top notch and plentiful. There was a raffle, prizes included a meal for two at the Rembrandt, shopping vouchers, wine and chocolates. A good time was had by all. MERRY CHRISTMAS.
Thanks to Jo Galley for organising the event.
Nordic Walking Course
Wednesday 10th September
The four week course in Nordic Walking started on Wednesday 10th September, The take up was so good that the instructor had to split the group into two halves, one starting at 10.15am and the other at 11.15am. 24 signed up for this event.
Thank you to Heidi Taylor-Feld, our Parkinson's Development Officer, for organising the event.
Photo - June Bryan.
Asda Collection
4th September 2025
Thank you to Asda in Weymouth for allowing us yet again to hold a 'Tin Rattling' collection in the foyer of their store. Also a big thank you to all the volunteers who attended on the day and assisted in the collection of £210.84 for our group funds, which will assist people in the Weymouth and Dorchester area who are affected by Parkinson's.
Weymouth Seafront Sale
Wednesday 13th August 2025
A nice cool day for our Seafront Bric-a-Brac and Book Sale on the Esplanade, Weymouth.
A big thank you to Karen, one of our Branch Fundraisers, for organising the event and collecting the stock for sale, and also the other members who assisted on the day including Karen's husband, daughter and uncle. We all had a good time and raised a whopping £461.96p for our branch funds which will help support local people living with Parkinson's.
Young Parkinson's Grand Opening
Thursday 24th July 2025
On Thursday 24th July the Young Parkinson's group held their Grand Opening at the Redlands Leisure Centre, Weymouth. Known as the Jurassic Park Life, the group, with the assistance of Heidi Taylor-Feld, Lorraine Bilton, Helen Brown and Hazel Coleman, put on a taster morning for events including Nordic Walking, Yoga and singing with a choir. All who attended had an enjoyable experience. We would like to extend a warm welcome to Jurassic Park Life into the Parkinson's UK family.
Casterbridge Male Voice Choir Concert
Wednesday 23rd July 2025
The Casterbridge Male Voice Choir put on a free concert on Wednesday 23rd July at St. Mary's Church in Dorchester. The event was very well attended. The Mayor, Councillor Andy Canning and his partner Mel were the guests of honour, Andy having been diagnosed with Parkinson's 10 years ago. We were permitted to run a raffle at the event and the proceeds of £300 were donated to our branch funds to assist in supporting local people living with Parkinson's. We offer our thanks to the generous people in attendance and to the Casterbridge Male Voice Chior for putting on such a great event.
Tandem Parachute Jump
30th May 2025
Well done Caroline Halls. Caroline completed a tandem parachute jump from 10,000 feet at Old Sarum Airfield on 30th May 2025, raising over £3090 for Parkinson's research. She also donated £545 to our local group to help local people living with Parkinson's.
World Parkinson's Day Event
2025
A massive well done to Karen, one of our branch fundraisers, who organised and manned, along with Mandy, a cake sale at Dorset County Hospital, Dorchester. She made a fantastic £459 for our branch funds which supports local people living with Parkinson's.
Tesco Collection
10th April 2025
Big thank you to the generous people of Dorchester who parted with over £550 into our collection tins during the six hour collection at the Dorchester Tesco.
Age UK Event
Saturday 13th July 2025
On a very hot Sunday 13th July we took part in the Age UK Summer Fayre on the Great Field, Puundbury, Dorchester. We put up our usual stall with our treasure map designed by our very own Jim Bayliss, where we sold squares on our Treasure Hunt. We also took loads of books from our bric-a-brac store as a side line that has proved popular in the past. After deducting the pitch fee and Treasure Hunt prizes we made a profit of £183.87 to support people living with Parkinson's in our area. Thank you to all who helped us on the day.