Petanque hits the spot for people with Parkinson’s

The new weekly session, run in conjunction with the Sports Commission’s Steve Sharman, gives another opportunity for the charity’s members to connect socially and exercise.

Physical activity is a significant part of managing a Parkinson’s diagnosis as people seek to maintain their mobility for as long as possible.

Petanque is a less physically strenuous activity than some of the charity’s other clubs, such as boxing, but its specific movements remain particularly useful for people with Parkinson’s. This includes the movement in the legs when preparing to throw a ball, the fluidity of the arm movement required to throw, balance, the grip and release of the ball — but also exercising speech when communicating with their team and others.

Many people present had never played petanque before, including Sue Whitlock, who has been part of Parkinson’s Guernsey for two years. She fills her weekly calendar with activities run by the charity, her favourite being pickleball.

‘We just laugh so much, laugh all the way through it. You can’t sit down and feel sorry for yourself, you can come and join something,’ she said.

‘I was talking to someone yesterday, and their mum had died [with Parkinson’s]. They were saying that she didn’t have the chances that we have. We’re really lucky to have the exercise classes and things that she didn’t have.’

The organisers hope that petanque can become a staple activity for people with Parkinson’s and their families and carers to enjoy for as long as possible.

‘The main thing is to be willing to try new things.

‘Sometimes, and especially with people who might be a bit older, they kind of narrow the mind in a way. They like having a routine set up — so just sometimes we need to break that routine and try new things,’ said Parkinson’s Guernsey’s chief executive Melanie Hardouin.

‘You don’t need to be good at something, just come, try and laugh.’