Table tennis 'transforming' life with Parkinson's

Julie Norris said the club had given her confidence

People living with Parkinson's disease have said their local table tennis club has "transformed" their lives by improving their health and giving them confidence.

The weekly sessions at Ormesby Table Tennis Club in Middlesbrough were set up in response to research which suggested playing the sport every week could be linked to improving some motor symptoms related to the disease.

Julie Norris, who said she was at her lowest ebb when she had to retire from her dream job as a teacher last May, said the club had been a "lifesaver".

"You don't like to tremor in front of people, stammer or wobble," she said. "But you can do that here because it's OK, it's who we are."

Another player, Andy Murray, said: "This is a statement of defiance.

"We've all got this awful, terrible disease. We're all saying we're not going to give into this disease."

Lynn Tearse said she was proud of the weekly sessions

The sessions were the idea of Lynn Tearse who approached Ormesby Table Tennis club after reading about a Japanese study which suggested the sport may have health benefits for those with Parkinson's.

She said: "It makes us so proud when people say the club has transformed their lives.

"Your life tends to shrink with Parkinson's.

"A lot of the symptoms can be socially embarrassing, some of the side effects from the drugs are not pretty, so people can become isolated and not want to go out."

Lynn and her partner Frank are two of the four players from the club who will again be taking part in the World Parkinson's Table Tennis Championship in Sweden in November.