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Gardening company Green Thumb, has donated £2,625 to the Ballymena and District branch of Parkinson's UK, which is to be split between supporting local services and investing in research.

Keith Fleming, the Green Thumb representative in the North and West areas, chose the local branch of Parkinson’s UK as his mother lives with the condition.

He said: “My mother has lived with Parkinson’s for many years so I wanted to support the local group in providing local services for local people. Over half of the donation (£1,325) is also being donated to benefit Parkinson’s UK’s research programme as we want to support the search for a cure, or even a more effective form of treatment.”

Explaining how they raised the money Keith said: “As part of our waste disposal process following the completion of scarification, we bag the waste and leave it for customers to dispose of. For those customers who chose to have us collect and dispose of it, we requested a £1 charity donation per bag, which we matched with another £1 contribution. In total, across Northern Ireland, we raised £10,500 with each area choosing a charity of their choice. I was delighted to choose the Parkinson’s UK Ballymena and District Branch, as they support so many people living with Parkinson’s in the local area.”

Keith Fleming of Green Thumb Lawn Service is pictured handing over a cheque for £2625 to Chair of the Ballymena and District Branch, Jimmy McClean and Treasurer, Ann Hill.

Jimmy McClean, chair of the Ballymena and District branch of Parkinson's UK, said: "We are so grateful to Keith and the team at Green Thumb for their generous donation, which will help people living with Parkinson's across Ballymena and the district. We are a volunteer-led support group and fundraising like Keith’s helps us to deliver exercise classes and monthly support sessions, which the participants find really beneficial."

Ballymena branch support group meetings are held on the third Friday of the month at the Ballymena North Business Centre, 120 Cushendall Road, Ballymena from 3-4.30pm. The branch welcomes anyone affected by Parkinson’s.

The branch is also looking for new volunteers, and in particular a vice-chair to work alongside Jimmy. If you have some time to spare and would like to give back to your local community, this may be the role for you.

To find out more contact Jimmy McClean at [email protected] or phone 028 2564 8398 / 07826 336698.

Green Thumb raises funds for Ballymena Parkinson’s UK group