Sonovate is proud to support Annapurna’s Charlie Appleyard in his ongoing mission to raise awareness for Parkinson’s and lift the Ray Kennedy Cup in Copenhagen on Saturday 31st August.

A cause that is very close to Charlie’s heart, the Annapurna co-founder has brought together a team of footballers, from all walks of life, affected by Parkinson’s to raise awareness of young-onset Parkinson’s.

The tournament is named after English professional footballer Ray Kennedy who was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s at the end of his playing career and is the brainchild of physiotherapist Finn Egeberg Nielsen.

Nielsen discovered from his work with Parkinson’s patients that the movements required in football are very similar to the ones that he asked his patients to perform. It’s acknowledged that as little as 20 minutes per day can slow the progression of Parkinson’s.

The tournament forms just one part of Charlie’s ongoing mission to raise awareness and raise funds. Multiple events up and down the country and plans for further football tournaments next year are keeping Charlie very busy.

As Ambassador for Cure Parkinson’s Trust, Charlie is driving multiple initiatives to:

  1. Raise funds for Cure Parkinson’s Trust
  2. Encourage as many people as possible to do a minimum of 2.5 hours of exercise per week.
  3. Raise awareness of the symptoms of Parkinson’s, so that people can get diagnosed and begin treatment earlier. All of the squad had symptoms for years before being diagnosed.

The team have been training hard for the tournament, working with Morecambe FC and  featuring on Sky Sports News, BBC 5Live and Soccer Am (tune in on 24th August).

Richard (Prime – Sonovate co-founder) and I have known Charlie for many years. We are incredibly proud to support this cause and wish the team all the best in the tournament!

Damon Chapple, co-founder of Sonovate

To donate, visit Virgin Giving page UKYOPDFC or Text GOAL to 70450 to donate £5

Sonovate’s Role in the team

Sonovate is the official sponsor of the tour and tournament coverage on YouTube. Internally, the team are holding a penalty shootout – any businesses who want to send their spot kick experts to our offices in London and Cardiff are more than welcome!

About Cure Parkinson’s Trust

Cure Parkinson’s Trust is the only charity in the UK that is purely focused on finding treatments that can slow, stop or reverse Parkinson’s. The main initiative is the linked clinical trials programme (LCT). The aim of LCT is to repurpose drugs that are already in use for other indications that are proven to be safe for human consumption.

About Charlie

Annapurna was founded by its three partners, Nigel Fox, James Ballard and Charlie Appleyard who, prior to 2008, occupied positions in the senior management team of the FTSE 250 SThree.

In 2019, Charlie was awarded Agency Recruitment Leader of the Year at the Recruiter Awards. “The judges found the winner’s tenacity and resilience truly inspiring, particularly in coaching other employees and sharing his passion for his job.”

It is estimated that 1,000s of people in the UK show signs of Parkinson’s years before being diagnosed. With over 40 symptoms, the signs are not easy to spot. Charlie’s story is very similar – in hindsight and completely unbeknownst to him at the time, he may have been showing symptoms 2-3 years before diagnosis.

As Ambassador for Cure Parkinson’s Trust, Charlie is driving multiple initiatives to raise awareness of Parkinson’s and raise funds for CPT.

About Annapurna

Annapurna is an innovative and multi-award winning recruitment agency based in London and Munich, operating in the UK, DACH region and nordic countries, focussed on the HR, IT and Business Transformation sectors.