East Kent Masons donate to the Parkinson’s Centre for Integrated Therapy

Report by Matt Jury

On the 10th December 2024 at the Parkinson’s Centre for Integrated Therapy, Woodlands, University of Kent, (PCIT) Giles Lane, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7LR, Freemasons, Peter Lapage (Group 4 Chairman), Tony Lay (Swakely Lodge) and myself, (Matt Jury) along with my wife Kelly Jury represented the 4 Lodges & 1 Chapter – Ardea Lodge (Herne Bay), Swakely Lodge (Whitstable), Kent Provincial Grand Stewards Lodge (Maidstone), Kent Provincial Grand Stewards Chapter (Canterbury), and Binnewith Lodge (Canterbury) .

With the lodges and chapters raising an amazing amount of money, we approached the Cornwallis East Kent Freemasons Charity, who kindly matched funded our donations, and together, enabled us to donate an amazing £2,700 for this fantastic charity. The Parkinson’s Centre for Integrated Therapy. (PCIT).

Parkinson’s Centre for Integrated Therapy Aim

Parkinson’s is a progressive neurological condition, which means that it causes problems in the brain that tend to become worse over time.
There is currently no cure for Parkinson’s, but a combination of drug and non-drug therapies can help people manage the condition and live well. In the UK, these drug therapies are relatively available but the non-drug therapies often less so.
They provide easy access to these therapies under one roof, offering treatment combinations that are tailored to the individual and coupled to self-management, home-based monitoring and peer support here at the Centre. from https://www.kent.ac.uk/parkinsons/about-us

Matt continues.

My son is a gymnast at Pegasus Gymnastics Club in Maidstone. One of the mums there, whose son is a friend of mine, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s at the age of 44. Sarah, who also works for PCIT, often shares with me the amazing work she does raising money for this condition during our regular Thursday night chats while our sons are training. I was particularly inspired by Sarah’s recent fundraising challenge of running the Pilgrims Way.

Below is a picture of Sarah on the Pilgrims Way.

Sarah wrote: “Why the Pilgrims’ Way? Going beyond the supposed limits of human performance. It’s not just about pushing the physical body, though that’s part of it. It’s about fundamentally changing the way the brain works.
Since my Parkinson’s diagnosis, I have changed the way I exercise; I no longer train to win, or to look good and or to maintain weight. I now exercise for my brain and to slow the progression of my disease.

When the Parkinson’s Centre for integrated Therapy launched in April, on World Parkinson’s Day 2023, I witnessed fellow Parkie Krish’s extraordinary challenge of climbing to Everest Base Camp.

This got me thinking – how can I challenge myself to do something that doesn’t involve flying to a different country, or potentially falling off a mountain? I knew I was capable of running and hiking, but how and where could I attempt a potentially gruelling and inspirational challenge? When my friend Jess said that she wanted to run part of the Pilgrims’ Way, from Wye to Canterbury in aid of PCIT, this inspired my thinking – why not run/walk the entire Pilgrims’ Way in a week. The journey begins in Winchester and rather appropriately finishes in Canterbury, the home of PCIT and my place of birth. Six days of 20 to 30 miles per day. Could I do it? 

Sarah completed this grueling challenge in May 2024 raising a staggering amount of £38,558.00.
Matt Jury says “This got me thinking of how we the masons of East Kent could also contribute? Hence on boarding the assistance of our Group 4 Charity Steward Mike Davies who helped me spread the word throughout our group and thank fully a few answered my call. My sincere gratitude to those that helped and supported this wonderful cause”.