AFTER his Dad was diagnosed with Parkinson's, a man from Ayr decided it was time to raise awareness about the disease.

Simon Dick has raised £1000 already for the charity through a serious of 10k runs that he began in March earlier this year.

His final race took place on Sunday, November 8, at Bellahouston Park, Glasgow where he believes he smashed his target of £1,000.

Simon's dad was diagnosed with the condition four-and-a-half years ago. The original aim was 12 races, running two per month but this increased to 16 creating his 100 mile challenge.

Simon, a Civil Servant, said: “I didn't realise how tough it would be. I do as much running as possible in between the races. It's been a massive challenge as I am not a professional runner.

“It was very windy on Sunday and the weather just got worse and worse. I am hoping that I can raise even more through various sponsor sheets I have at work and gift aid. I am hopeful that I will be able to raise another £200 at least.”

It's not just Simon who has been fundraising, his wife has also raised £300 through a sponsor sheet at her work.

Parkinson's is a progressive neurological condition that means people who suffer don't have enough of a chemical called dopamine because some nerve cells in their brain have died.

Without dopamine people can find that their movements become slower so it takes longer to do things. Although Parkinson's doesn't directly cause people to die, symptoms do get worse over time.

Simon added: “My father is still alive today. After seeing the help that he got I want to make sure everyone is entitled to the same care, at least making sure people are comfortable even if there is no cure yet.”

One person in every 500 has Parkinson's. That's about 127,000 people in the UK. Most people who get Parkinson's are aged 50 or over but younger people can get it too.

Simon has his own web page, http://parkinsons100.webs.com/, which has links to his just giving page on http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/SimonDick which is open for another six months.