WeBuyBooks are proud to announce our latest charity partnership with Parkinson’s UK. Parkinson’s UK is a charity which helps people living with Parkinson’s and fund vital research into the condition.
Parkinson’s UK is a charity, formed in 1969, to help people with Parkinson’s and raise money for research. Their mission is ultimately to find a cure for Parkinson’s, but until then they aim to help people with Parkinson’s live as well as possible and promote a wider understanding of the condition.
There are around 145,000 people living with Parkinson’s in the UK. It is a progressive condition, which means symptoms will get worse as the person ages. Parkinson’s is caused by a lack of dopamine in the brain, which then causes other neurological problems. It might start with obscure symptoms like smaller handwriting or feelings of depression, and then progress into more severe symptoms. The most common early symptoms of Parkinson’s are a tremor, slowness of movement and muscle stiffness. As Parkinson’s advances, symptoms become more severe and in some cases can cause complications that lead to death.
Parkinson’s UK fund vital research, from understanding the progression of Parkinson’s to clinical trials of new drugs. They founded the innovative Parkinson’s Virtual Biotech in 2017. This is an international body of charities, research organisations and universities. They use private sector principles of investing to ensure money is being spent in the most promising areas of research. But unlike the private sector, they will continue to invest in expensive or difficult research as long as it has the potential to help people with Parkinson’s because they’re driven by people, not profit.
Until a cure is found, they’re also committed to improving the everyday lives of people with Parkinson’s. They run local groups where people with Parkinson’s can meet up, make friends and offer support to each other. They also run a helpline, where advisors can help with everything from financial to medical issues. Currently, they are helping people with Parkinson’s through the cost of living crisis.
You can support Parkinson’s UK by donating, fundraising, volunteering and campaigning for change. As a charity, Parkinson’s UK welcomes individual donations or fundraising events, like a sponsored walk or skydive. For every £1 donated, 80p is spent on research or support for people with Parkinson’s, whilst the other 20p is spent to make the next £1.
Parkinson’s UK also welcomes volunteers. Volunteers can help with everything from running local branch meetings to cheering on runners in marathons. They also encourage people to get involved in campaigning. Important campaigns include the fight for fair benefits for people with Parkinson’s, which take into account the realities of living with Parkinson’s day-to-day.
And now there’s a new way to support Parkinson’s UK! You can donate the money from your sale to WeBuyBooks directly to Parkinson’s UK. All the money from your sale will go straight to them; no need for fundraising events or seeking out donations. It’s a win-win situation: you can get rid of old books and you can support a worthy charity.
Liberty, Regional Fundraising Operations Officer at Parkinson's UK, said:
“We are so grateful to WeBuyBooks for supporting Parkinson’s UK. With more than 40 potential symptoms, Parkinson’s can devastate lives. We’ve made huge breakthroughs in the last 50 years, but there is still no cure and current treatments are not good enough.
“This fantastic partnership shows that there are lots of ways for you to get involved and support us - from volunteering at an event to campaigning for better services. Without the generosity of companies like WeBuyBooks, our work would not be possible."
The process to sell your items remains the same, but instead of entering your payment details at checkout, you’ll simply choose to donate to charity instead. When you select this option, you’ll be able to choose one of our partner charities, including Parkinson's UK.
On average, our customers make around £30 by selling their unwanted stuff to WeBuyBooks. Plus, when you sell over £25 worth of items, we automatically increase the amount we pay out by 5%! So, that’s £31.50 that you could donate to one of our charities. The more items you sell, the more money you’ll be able to raise for Parkison’s UK. So have a good clearout and see what items you can find to support this amazing charity! We buy books, CDs, DVDs and more.
Have some items to sell? Get started on our website, or download our App. Available for Apple and Android, simply scan the barcode and get going!