Storytelling Podcasts Launch to Help Carmarthenshire Youngsters Learn About Parkinson’s

Creative arts organisation Made By Mortals CIC has teamed up with national charity Parkinson’s UK to create a special new Armchair Adventures episode, helping children aged 6 to 10 understand Parkinson’s in a fun, accessible and imaginative way.

Part of the award-winning Armchair Adventures podcast, A Planet Exercise Adventure! is a three-part adventure, co-created with Parkinson’s UK and developed in partnership with people living with Parkinson’s, as well as carers and loved ones.

Across the adventure, listeners join Chief Adventurer Connie, her Nanna Debs and a gang of explorers as they travel to “Planet Exercise”. It’s a vibrant, musical world filled with different ways to move, from gentle stretching to energetic dancing. Along the way, they discover that exercise can look and feel different for everyone.

Inspired by Nanna Debs’ Parkinson’s diagnosis, the adventure follows Connie’s desire to help her stay well, leading to a heartfelt journey about understanding change, listening to others, and learning how to support the people we love.

As Nanna Debs explains in Part 1, “Exercise can help people with Parkinson’s feel better, just like medicine.”

Through join-in storytelling, music and movement, the series helps children and families explore Parkinson’s in a child-friendly way, understanding how it can affect movement and daily life, and why staying active can help.

A Planet Exercise Adventure! launches on 7 May, with further episodes on 21 May and 4 June, followed by a special Unpacked companion episode on 18 June.

You can listen to Armchair Adventures for free on all major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube, or at www.podfollow.com/Armchair-Adventures.

Andy Smith, Artistic Director at Made By Mortals, said:

“Armchair Adventures is all about turning real experiences into joyful, imaginative stories for families. Working with Parkinson’s UK and people living with Parkinson’s has helped us create something that feels both playful and truthful, helping children understand a complex condition in a way that’s accessible and reassuring. Partnerships like this are vital to what we do, they make sure the stories we tell are not only creative, but genuinely meaningful.”

Helen Sturman, Area Development Manager at Parkinson’s UK said:

“We’re really excited about the launch of this Armchair Adventures episode. Explaining Parkinson’s to children isn’t always easy, and this is a fun way to help them understand how it can affect people. A big thank you to everyone with Parkinson’s who shared their experiences of living with Parkinson’s in the making of the story.”

How physical activity can help people to live well with Parkinson’s

Being active can be one of the best ways to live well with a long term health condition, such as Parkinson’s, and the some of the benefits can include:

Improved balance and coordination

Better strength, flexibility and mobility

Improved sense of wellbeing and mindfulness

Better memory and cognitive skills

Greater social interaction

Improved speech and communications skills

Parkinson’s is a complex brain condition that gets worse over time. It has more than 40 symptoms, from tremor and pain to anxiety, and there is no cure. Someone is diagnosed with Parkinson’s in the UK every 20 minutes and by 2050, the number of people living with the condition worldwide will double to 25 million.

Parkinson’s UK is the leading European funder of Parkinson’s research and here to support every Parkinson’s journey, every step of the way. For information and support, visit parkinsons.org.uk or call the charity’s free, confidential helpline on 0808 800 0303.

For more information about Made by Mortals and the Armchair Adventures series, visit www.madebymortals.org/armchair-adventures