Colmcille Vintage Club gifts €12,000 from Tractor Run to Longford Parkinson's Branch

There were smiles and a lot of positivity recently as the Colmcille Vintage Club handed over a cheque for over €12,000 to the Parkinson's Association of Ireland following the hugely successful Colmcille Vintage Car and Tractor Run.

The presentation of the cheque was made in Murtagh's Bar, a well known pub at 'The Cross' in Aughnacliffe village recently when the Parkinson's Association of Ireland gratefully accepted the cheque from the Colmcille Vintage Club on August 24 last.

Chairperson of the Colmcille Vintage Club, Micheál Shaughnessy and Seamus Kiernan, Secretary presented a cheque for €12,000 to Al Shannon, Chairman and Frances Stephenson, Secretary of the Longford branch of Parkinson’s Association.

They said they were delighted to be able to hand over the cheque for €12,000 this year, which was about €500 more than was collected last year for charity.

"It was a lovely evening, the Parkinson's Association of Ireland were thrilled with the amount we collected for them," Mr Shaughnessy added.

The club decided to give the proceeds of this year’s Colmcille Vintage Car and Tractor Run, held in early-July, to the Longford branch of the Parkinson's Association of Ireland as a club member was diagnosed a few years ago.

Colmcille Vintage Club has been in operation since 2011. Since then, the annual tractor run and other activities have raised more than €155,000 for different charities in Co Longford.

Parkinson’s, which is the second most common neurodegenerative condition in Ireland after Alzheimer’s, is a progressive neurological disorder, and is classified as a Movement Disorder, as it primarily affects movement.

The incidence is 1-2:1000 of the general population and 1:100 of the over 80s, therefore estimating that there are approximately 18,000 people living with Parkinson’s in Ireland.

Parkinson’s disease is caused by a loss of a chemical called dopamine.

We all lose some of this chemical as we get older. However, it is only when we have lost about 80% of our dopamine we start to have symptoms.

So people with Parkinson’s have lost this chemical at a faster rate than others.

Parkinson’s is most commonly diagnosed in a person’s 60s.

It can however also affect younger people. People presenting with Parkinson’s between 40-to-60 years old are said to have Early Onset Parkinson’s, those between 21-to-40 years old are generally described as having Young Onset Parkinson’s, while those with symptoms occurring before the age of 20 are described as having Juvenile Parkinsonism.

Parkinson’s branches receive no government funding and depends on fundraising and donations to cover its expenses.

Funds are required to run courses, information sessions, meetings and activities for members.

As Parkinson’s primarily affects movement, recent activities include weekly exercise classes or Tai Chi, as well as informational talks on Parkinsonism, diet, managing Parkinson’s, etc. These additional funds will be used to maintain existing activities and organise much needed physiotherapy activities.

READ NEXT: New TFI routes to be introduced serving areas in Longford, Cavan and Westmeath

READ NEXT: Longford Garda Station welcomes new recruit this week