Isolation…

Today is day 20 of isolation due to coronavirus, and we’ve all got into a routine….. Routine is good. People who knew me pre-Parkinsons, will be surprised to hear me say that it is the best thing ever! For me, it helps enormously; my body loves the routine, hence why I’m sat here watching breakfast…

Grumpy Rachel

Watching the Atlantic, preparing for the Indian

by Rachel Hearn It has been thirty days. Dozens of vomits, one broken bracket, multiple phone calls to multiple coast guard units, a diverted Portuguese fishing vessel, one crew member’s departure, several days on land in Cape Verde, and a lot of welding since the crew set off from Lanzarote. Doesn’t make it sound eventful…

Saying goodbye in Lanzarote

A guest blog written by Laura Nicholson, aka Liz’s niece!!! It felt like just yesterday Liz was sitting us all down to tell us she had signed up to row the Atlantic Ocean for Parkinson’s UK. To be honest, with Liz being Liz, nothing ever surprises us, but this was a small exception. When she…

Happy New Year…here we go!

It’s six o’clock in the morning on the first day of 2020. I’ve managed a lie in this morning. Well, for me it was; it’s usually been four a.m.! Although, it’s possibly because we were woken up at midnight by a million fireworks, that I’ve been able to stay in bed a bit longer! Recently…

An Athlete’s Best Friend

From being a very small child, all I ever wanted was a dog. I didn’t want millions of pounds, fancy clothes, or big swanky houses, all I ever wanted was a dog. It didn’t have to be any specific type of dog, just a dog. I didn’t want a fantastic career, I just wanted to…

Everyday Warriors

My name is Barry Hayes, and I am not rowing the Atlantic Ocean, I am also not rowing the Indian Ocean. And this decision has been fuelled, almost entirely, by the fact that it sounds genuinely horrible. I have, however, been working closely with the amazing Brain Waves team for a little while, helping them…

Unconditional Love

I’m sitting in my lovely new home, in our kitchen/family room, its 4:30am in the morning, and I have less than two weeks before I leave to row the Atlantic ocean! Which is precisely the reason why I’m awake at 4:30am on my day off. The nerves are starting to kick in a little, but…

Parkinson’s Disease and Carbohydrates

When I got involved in this research program with Oxford Brooks University, I was told what they’d discovered during the previous study. In layman’s terms; when they tested Robin after the Indian Ocean row in 2018 it showed that his body didn’t utilise carbs, but fats instead, there are a lot more technical things which…

Liz Dennet doing press ups at Cowes

A Life Changing Diagnosis

In May 2014 I was diagnosed with Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease and during the following five years I carried on with life trying things I hadn’t done before. Not necessarily anything really ‘out there’, but for me at the age of 43 some of the things were things I had never tried before. I did…

Scott’s thoughts from the jungle

Many of you may have noticed that the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge rowing race has begun. 35 teams and solo rowers have set off from La Gomera in the Canary Islands in search of adventure. Perhaps in search of themselves or something equally profound. Whatever their reasons they are in for one incredible journey. We’re not…