Walking Football Scotland are delighted to share that we have appointed Drew Wilson into the voluntary role of WFS Parkinson’s Educator.
Drew has a wealth of experience working with people with Parkinson’s both on and off the pitch and we are delighted that he has accepted this role that will see him train others to support the delivery of our new Parkinson’s WF sessions across the country in partnership with Parkinson’s UK.
We recently sat down with Drew to learn a little bit more about the programme and his experiences.
What was it that encouraged you to get involved with working with people with Parkinson’s?
“My Mother had Parkinson’s and I always felt there was more we could have done as a family to help her. After I retired I started playing Walking Football in Glasgow and saw first-hand the difference we could make to player’s lives as they recovered from strokes, cancer, and heart conditions. I saw how players improved their mental health through teamwork and the social interaction that ‘being back in the changing room’ provided and I wondered if we could apply this to players living with Parkinson’s.
I approached Glasgow Life with an idea and received the support to approach Parkinson’s (UK) Scotland. We formed a joint pilot programme to determine if Walking Football was suitable for players with Parkinson’s and through that 10 week pilot, it very much proved the case. The results were remarkable! Since then our game and weekly sessions have expanded significantly with the help of the Celtic FC Foundation…”
LEARN more about Drew Wilson HERE: https://www.walkingfootballscotland.org/news/drew-wilson-parkinsons
Original source: https://x.com/WalkingFootScot/status/1769652942619971974?s=20
