New exercise classes are offered at leisure centres in Okehampton and Tavistock to support people with Parkinson’s disease.

The classes are designed to improve mobility for those with the brain condition which causes tremors, slowness and stiffness.

Treatments include therapies for mobility, now offered at Meadowlands and Parklands leisure centres in the two towns run by charity Fusion Lifestyle.

Fusion has secured funding to run the friendly and sociable sessions from Parkinson’s UK. While there is currently no cure for the condition, regular exercise and support can lead to a better quality of life, whilst new treatments are being discovered.

Parkinson’s Project exercises are designed to improve balance, coordination, strength and mental wellbeing. They include wall sits, walking round agility cones, seated exercises, yoga poses, Nordic walking sessions and gentle circuits.

Classes take place at Parklands Leisure Centre in Okehampton on Tuesdays from 12.15pm-1.15pm and Thursdays 12.15pm-1.15pm and at Meadowlands Leisure Centre in Tavistock on Thursdays 11.15am -12.15pm 

Parkinson’s sufferer, Katie Alcock, said: “I was advised to use a walking stick, but consequently I suffered from knee and back pain. Since my walking with poles sessions with Fusion, my walking has improved 100 per cent and my knee and back pain have improved. I can now walk up hills.”

Mary-Ann Farrington added: “I love the classes not only for the benefit to my body which definitely feels less rigid and more mobile but the encouragement I get makes them so enjoyable.”