Hopping on his unicycle to beat Parkinson’s

A MAN from Windmill Hill will complete 40 individual 40km rides on a unicycle this year to raise vital funds for Parkinson’s UK and FoodCycle.

This will be Luke Evison’s biggest distance challenge to date, last year he cycled 400km across the Scottish Highlands over the course of 10 days to raise funds for Parkinson’s UK and Mind UK.

Luke, 40, was inspired to raise money for Parkinson’s UK because his older brother Neil was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2018 at only 44 years old.

He also wanted to raise money for FoodCycle because he wants to support people who are struggling with the current cost of living crisis.

Luke completed his first 40km ride of the year in March, travelling from Winchester to Petersfield. He has decided to take on this ‘40 on One Wheel’ challenge to mark his 40th birthday that he celebrated in February.

Luke will be travelling around the country to complete this challenge, with other routes planned in the North Yorkshire Moors National Park, Cornwall, the Lake District and Wales. Each ride will take approximately six hours and Luke will be inviting people to join on some of the rides but will often ride solo. Always carrying all his essential items with him the entire time.

Luke said: “I am looking forward to exploring new places and I hope I can bring a smile to people’s faces as they see me riding by on a big unicycle. I’m hoping to have completed all the rides by winter, so that’s 1,600 km in just a few months. But I am allowing myself until February 2024 just in case.

“It means a huge amount to me to be showing support for my brother Neil, who is a bit of a legend by the way. He’s admirably adapting to living with Parkinson’s and the challenges it brings. I also think that FoodCycle is a great initiative, with sites in many UK cities, and a service needed now more than ever with the current cost of living crisis. That’s why I’ve decided to support the two charities.”

Parkinson’s is the fastest

Neighbours fear noisy workers at tip as new plans to start work at 6am

STAFF at a tip in South Bristol can now start working at 6am during weekdays but council officers have promised noise levels “won’t harm neighbours”. People living nearby the Hartcliffe Way Reuse and Recycling Centre previously raised fears about the early start.

The recycling centre, which opened in summer last year, now has planning permission for Bristol Waste workers to growing neurological condition in the world, and currently there is no cure. It affects around 145,000 people in the UK and every hour two more people are diagnosed. Parkinson’s UK is the largest charitable funder of Parkinson’s research in Europe, leading the way to better treatments and a cure.

Melissa Rankin, Regional Fundraiser at Parkinson’s UK, said: “We are so grateful to Luke for taking on another incredible challenge for Parkinson’s UK. With more than 40 potential symptoms, Parkinson’s can devastate lives. We’ve made huge start at the site at 6am from Monday to Friday. Their work will be restricted to less noisy activities, like getting street cleansing vehicles ready for the day.

Some skips will also be emptied, but these will only be less noisy materials like green waste, black bag waste and wood. More noisy operations, like moving metal, will only start after 8am, according to a planning officer at Bristol City Council.

The changes were approved by the council’s development control B committee on Wednesday, March 8. A few residents had objected to the plans, with concerns they could be woken up early in the morning, but councillors said the noise would not be too loud.

A council planning officer said: “Overall breakthroughs in the last 50 years, but there is still no cure and current treatments are not good enough.”

Victoria Meier, FoodCycle’s Head of Fundraising, added: “We’re thrilled that Luke is raising funds for FoodCycle, as well as Parkinson’s UK, by undertaking this incredible challenge. With the cost-of-living crisis making life tough for so many, FoodCycle’s community meals have never been so needed.”

To support Luke, visit www.collectionpot.com/pot/ fourtyononewheel the pollution control officer is happy that while there might be audible noises during those hours, it’s not going to be of a level that is harmful to residents. In order to ensure that the public aren’t harmed by any noises during those more sensitive times, we asked the applicant to set out a noise management plan, which they did.”

Neighbours previously said that they can hear noise from the recycling centre already, particularly in the summer when windows were left open due to the heat. But councillors said that the restrictions, in the noise management plan, should prevent any excessively loud work from taking place early in the morning.

By Alex Seabrook, Local Democracy Reporter