Bulwell family holding special golf day in aid of Parkinson's UK

Simon Murphy, aged 54, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s 11 years ago and has since undergone life-changing brain surgery called deep brain stimulation.

Now, he, his wife Toni, 49, and their daughter Rae, 30, together with Bulwell Hall Golf Club owner Tom Blackburn, are holding an event on July 29 to raise money to help others diagnosed with Parkinson’s

Rae said: “The aim is to raise money for the charity to go towards helping find a cure for Parkinson’s.

“Dad was 43 when he was diagnosed, which is quite young but since then he has undergone deep brain stimulation which is helping to control tremors.

“We decided we wanted to give back to the charity and we’re aiming to do that by getting companies to sponsor a hole, so they’ll have advertisement on the day, and having members and non-members paying to play on the day in fourballs.

“We’ll also have a raffle and family barbecue too, so it should be really good.

“The response has been really good already and we’ve got 14 of the holes sponsored already through people we know and on Facebook and people can sign up to play in the golf competition on the day later this month.”

Simon’s Parkinson’s diagnosis came as a shock to the family, but since then, and the help of the pioneering surgery, he has found life much better.

Simon said: “It was worse when I first got diagnosed because in my left arm I had the tremor and I was shaking, I wouldn’t go out and my confidence went.

“But after the operation, everything just clicked.

“Now, we just need to find a cure for it.

“I don’t tend to play much now but I can still go around the course in a buggy with the lads and have the banter and that’s what I like.

“I’m really looking forward to the day and seeing friends and family and people who didn’t know me, and didn’t know I’d got it, helping to make a great day even greater.

“There’s people coming from London and Scotland to play and hopefully we can make it into an annual event.”

Any person or business interested in sponsoring a hole at the event should email [email protected]