TWO members of a Peebles fundraising group are in the midst of a demanding challenge to help sufferers of Parkinson’s Disease.

Donna Renwick and Elizabeth Raw have both seen their mothers affected by the disease which has recently been in the spotlight following the death of politician Margo MacDonald.

The pair are members of the Attic Avengers, a group of women who are taking part in the 5 x 50 challenge for Sport Relief.

Donna and Elizabeth began their challenge on March 30 with the aim of completing a 5k walk/run or 30 minutes exercise every day until May 18. One in every 500 people has Parkinson’s in the UK and there is currently no cure.

Donna said: “The year I got married, the year my eldest sister had her first baby was overcast by the diagnosis of my mum. ‘I know what’s wrong? I have Parkinson’s’,” she said. “The words are still fresh 10 years later.

“My mum is the loving, caring, selfless rock she always was. The tremor down her left side stopping her holding a cup or picking up a button, the stiffening of the joints that stops her getting down on the floor to play with her grandson, watching my dad taking her arm in her garden or carrying a plate, not being able to wear your beautiful collection of shoes, who helps you with your earrings?

“The worst is the tiredness and the isolation this is Parkinson’s and why I want to make a difference. My mum like all Parkinson’s sufferers deserves help to remain independent. Any donation goes straight to the front line.” The Attic Avengers have dedicated 50 days to a Sports Relief Challenge to raise money for a variety of challenges close to their hearts.

The organisations that will benefit include the Lavender Touch, Sick Kids Foundation, Parkinson’s, SAMH and Dogs Trust.

The group has signed up for the 5 x 50 challenge which has committed them to each running or walking for five kilometres or doing 30 minutes of exercise every day for the next 50 days.

Elizabeth, who is also raising money for Parkinson’s, said: “My mum was diagnosed with Parkinson’s when I was very young and she was in her 40s. It is a dreadful disease that slowly imprisoned her within her own body.

“At that time, there was no real help for Parkinson’s sufferers and I missed a lot of school when I had to look after her. Everyday tasks that we take for granted, such as drinking a cup of tea became extremely difficult due to the tremor.

“Mobility eventually went and she was confined to a wheelchair. She bravely fought her disease to the day she died.

“She was a wonderful mum and wife who taught us all to be strong and to live life to the full.

“I felt that in order to honour the struggle my mum endured and to raise money for Parkinson’s UK, I wanted do something that would get me out of my comfort zone. The 5 x 50 Challenge is doing just that!” Donations can be made online at www.justgiving.com/elizabethoraw or www.justgiving.com/Donna-Renwick1