Five years of Parkinson’s campaigning

To mark the 250^th edition of our weekly e-newsletter – launched five years ago to deliver the latest news from Parkinson’s Life editorial team straight to readers’ inboxes – we look back at some of our biggest stories and campaigns

In the five years since the launch of Parkinson’s Life, we’ve featured hundreds of inspiring people from all walks of life who have taken the time to share their stories with the worldwide Parkinson’s community. And our (free) email newsletter – which this week celebrates its 250^thedition – has proved vital in getting those stories to a global audience, which now spans 224 countries.

We’ve spoken to comedian Tony Hawks, who is a long-time supporter of the Cure Parkinson’s Trust, sports broadcaster Dave Clark who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2011, award-winning inventor Erin Smith who created a Parkinson’s diagnosis app, and campaigner Kibra Kebede who set up the first ever Parkinson’s support group in Ethiopia.

We’ve tackled taboo subjects; shared recipes and resources; kept on top of the latest research and reported on the stories that matter to you – whether that’s Billy Connolly’s thoughts on the condition, the future of Parkinson’s drugs being green, or the search for a cure in outer space.

We’ve also used our platform to spotlight the condition and call for change, partnering in global campaigns such as #UniteforParkinsons – which reached over 12 million people globally – and our latest #WomenAndParkinsons campaign, and have had our commitment to the community recognised by the Content MarketingAssociation Awards, BMA Patient Information Awards, and The Drum Network Awards.

Reflecting on the way the magazine has helped to spotlight Parkinson’s, Russell Patten, secretary general of Parkinson’s Europe, said: “We’re delighted to have seen Parkinson’s Life grow its readership and continue to connect with people with Parkinson’s across the globe. Our 250th newsletter is a milestone moment in our efforts to produce inspiring and educational resources the community can rely on, week in, week out.

“We hope to see many more members of Parkinson’s community join us and contribute to more meaningful conversations and campaigns in 2020 – and encourage readers to get in touch if they have a story or an idea they think is worth sharing!”

Like any magazine, we are nothing without our readers and contributors, so we want to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone who has supported what we do to make a tangible difference to those living with Parkinson’s.

If you haven’t subscribed to our weekly e-newsletter, you can do so by clicking here – and if you’d like to suggest topics for us to cover or you have a story to tell, please get in touch.

Lead image credit: Anders M. Leines. View the online gallery of This is Parkinson’s here and visit the Facebook page.

Read more:

7 of our favourite stories from 2019

Parkinson’s Life 2018 highlights