18,000-mile trek to raise awareness of Parkinson’s Disease

Stansted Park will be hosting Running on Empty on Thursday, April 18, an evening event in aid of Parkinson’s Disease, with British explorer and leading Parkinson’s campaigner Guy Deacon, who last year drove 18,000 miles overland from his home in the UK to South Africa in order to raise awareness of Parkinson’s Disease.

At the event, Guy will be interviewed by David Bennett to recount his journey, crossing Europe and the full length of Africa, which took the former army officer and 60-year-old father of two more than three years to complete, driving 18,000 miles across 25 countries, with five breakdowns, as well as one emergency evacuation, whilst taking 3,650 prescription pills to help manage his Parkinson’s.

The event on April 18 runs from 7pm-9pm and is open to all with tickets costing £30 to include refreshments and canapes with all proceeds also going to support Parkinson’s. Tickets are available at https://www.stanstedpark.co.uk/guydeacontalk

“With very little use of his hands, poor spatial awareness and often appearing drunk to those who do not understand the disease, Guy would drive, live and sleep in his VW Transporter for 12 months, often camping alone in the jungle and remote spots hundreds of miles from the nearest village or town,” a spokesman said. “Navigating himself through cities and towns without knowing the language, Guy would often get lost and relied on locals for directions after taking a wrong turn or when network coverage killed his GPS or when the roads weren’t marked on the map.”