Living with Parkinson’s disease has become a little easier for a special group of people in Harrogate — thanks to padel.
Harrogate Spa Tennis and Padel Centre in North Yorkshire partnered with the charity Parkinson’s UK a year and half ago to set up weekly padel sessions which offered fresh air, exercise and companionship to local people living with the condition.
One weekly session has now become two, led by volunteer organiser Carolyn Rothwell. The sessions now accommodate 23 players who have formed a merry and welcoming group. The Padel Paper had the privilege of meeting them on Tuesday.
Not only have they flourished through learning the game and meeting each other, eight of them are now in training as they prepare to take part in the Parkinson Padel Open in Kolding, Denmark, on 29-31 May.
Team member Hugh Robinson said: “When we found out about this competition in Denmark, we sent them an email almost as a bit of a joke, saying, ‘We’re a Yorkshire Parkinson’s padel team, will you accept us as honorary Nordic players?’ They replied and said, ‘Yes, absolutely!’ We were delighted.”
The Parkinson Padel Open aims to highlight how accessible sports like padel can improve physical and mental wellbeing for people with Parkinson’s. It emphasises the Danish concept of ‘hygge’, a sense of comfort and belonging that extends beyond the court.
Players at Harrogate Spa certainly experience a Yorkshire version of ‘hygge’ every week on the padel courts.
“My wife knows straight away if I’ve been here,” says Hugh (pictured below). “She can tell the difference when I’ve exercised. It clears the mind, and the camaraderie is so beneficial.
“Cognitive and physical movement gets more and more difficult the further you progress with Parkinson’s. Thinking and moving at the same time, plus fresh air, massively helps.”
Steve Ainsley, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s three years ago, said: “I find when I’m playing padel I actually forget I’ve got Parkinson’s. My movement is a lot more normal than it is the rest of the time.
“When I was diagnosed, one of the things the nurses said to me was to get as much exercise as you can because it will help your symptoms.
“With padel, you’re in play all the time. It’s the social side too. We have coffee afterwards and we can talk about our various symptoms. My wife says I have a better social life than she has now!”
Part of the team heading to Denmark is the group’s elder statesman, 82-year-old Geordie, Neville Farmer. His energy, humour and willpower inspires everyone around him. When he’s not training, he’s singing in his local barbershop choir.
“We are such a happy, silly group!” says Rosemary Knox (pictured above, second left), another member of the Denmark training group. “We have so many laughs and it’s absolutely lovely.
“We see new people coming in who are quite nervous; maybe they’ve been good squash or tennis players in the past and Parkinson’s has really set them back. But very quickly, they get their confidence back, laughing and smiling.
“In a very informal and friendly way, you can talk about Parkinson’s or choose not to. It’s the movement, the exercise and the socialising — put those all together and you’ve got a secret recipe.
“It would be easy for us to become isolated, particularly the blokes. But if they’ve got a sporty background, or even if they haven’t, coming here is just fantastic. How lucky we are to have this group in Harrogate.”
Support the Harrogate Spa team at the Parkinson Padel Open in Denmark here.
I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease a year ago at the age of 67. For several months I had noticed tremors in my right hand and the shaking of my right foot when I was sitting. My normally beautiful cursive writing was now small, cramped printing. And I tended to lose my balance. The neurologist had me walk down the hall and said I didn’t swing my right arm. I had never noticed! I was in denial for a while, as there is no history in my family of parents and five older siblings, but I had to accept I had classic symptoms. I was taking amantadine and carbidopa/levodopa and was about to start physical therapy to strengthen muscles. I used different supplements that didn’t work, so last July, I tried the PD-5 protocol—the best decision ever! My tremors eased, my energy returned, and I sleep soundly. I feel like a new woman, and I can walk and exercise again. I got the PD-5 from www. limitless healthcenter. c o m
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