Employees at a South Wales-based outsourcing contact centre have raised £500 for Parkinson’s UK in support of affected colleagues – while learning about the condition from experts.

Staff from Conduit’s sites at Cardiff Gate, Cardiff Hodge House and Swansea SA1 held cake sales, raffles and dress-down days to collect funds for the charity’s annual awareness week.

Employees Neil Davies and Byron Scott are just two of the 120,000 people affected in the UK. Philippa Davies of Parkinson’s UK and Justin Pearson, Neil’s registrar, educated employees on the disease and how thousands across the country learn to live with it.

Each year, the Parkinson’s Disease Society holds an awareness week to raise the profile of the Society, giving a focus for fundraising efforts across the UK and increasing people’s understanding of Parkinson’s disease.

Parkinson’s is a progressive neurological condition which affects one person in every 500 in the UK. Everyone with the disease has different symptoms but the main symptoms of Parkinson’s are tremor, rigidity and slowness of movement.

Neil Evans, managing director, Conduit UK, said “We’re always really supportive of charity at Conduit and our team always go the extra mile to ensure we raise as much as we can for a good cause. Neil and Byron are valuable members of our team and it’s particularly poignant to be able to raise money for an issue close to their- and our- hearts.”

Phillipa Davies, Parkinson’s UK, said: “Parkinson’s is often a misunderstood condition and sufferer’s often just want to be treated fairly. Conduit is a fantastic business for the way it integrates Neil and Byron into its team.

“There’s currently no cure for Parkinson’s and we don’t yet know why people get the condition. Every penny counts for our campaign to find a cure and help people cope better with day-to-day life so we’re really appreciative of Conduit’s fundraising efforts.”

Pictured above: Parkinson’s sufferers Neil Davies and Byron Scott of Conduit, with Alyson and Phillippa from charity Parkinson’s UK.