This month, during World Parkinson’s Month, the charity Parkinsons.Me, which is marking its 10th anniversary this year, is celebrating the continued growth of its Community Garden at West Lockinge, near Wantage.

The garden has been created as a welcoming, accessible space where people living with Parkinson’s, their families, and the wider community, including Gardening on Prescription groups, can come together in a supportive outdoor environment.

Designed with accessibility at its core, the garden includes raised beds, easy-access pathways, and adaptable features that allow people of all abilities to take part.

More than a garden, it offers a place to connect, reduce isolation, and support both physical and mental wellbeing.

The initiative reflects a growing focus on the role of nature and community in supporting long-term health conditions.

Activities in the garden encourage gentle participation, social interaction, and a renewed sense of purpose.

As Parkinsons.Me celebrates its 10-year anniversary, the garden stands as an example of how local, community-led initiatives can make a difference to everyday life.

With national attention on inclusive garden design through this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show, the West Lockinge Community Garden highlights how these principles are already making an impact at a local level — offering a space that can be enjoyed all year round.

Community members are also invited to visit and get involved throughout April.

Parkinson’s is a progressive neurological condition that affects the brain and impacts movement, coordination, and a wide range of non-motor functions.

In the UK, around 153,000 people are currently living with Parkinson’s, and this number is expected to rise as the population ages.

While it is more common in people over the age of 60, younger people can also be diagnosed.

Symptoms vary from person to person but can include tremor, stiffness, slowness of movement, fatigue, and mental health challenges.

As a long-term condition with no cure, Parkinson’s affects not only those diagnosed but also their families and carers, making community support and accessible wellbeing initiatives increasingly important.

Parkinsons.Me is a local, community-focused charity dedicated to supporting people living with Parkinson’s and their families.

Through practical initiatives, social opportunities, and wellbeing-focused programmes such as the West Lockinge Community Garden, the charity helps individuals stay active, connected, and supported in their everyday lives.

Now celebrating its 10th anniversary, Parkinsons.Me continues to develop inclusive, person-centred projects that make a meaningful difference across Oxfordshire.

Immy and her friend Mya, both in Year 4 at Mill Lane Community School in Chinnor, began selling the colourful bands to support their school’s Early Years Outdoor Learning programme.

They have now set themselves an extra challenge to create the longest loom band chain they can, hoping to raise even more funds through sponsorship.

Immy’s mother, Becki Lacey, said: “I am so proud of them and feel they need more supporters behind them.

“It’s such a lovely thing for them to be raising money for their school, wanting to give something back.”

Funds raised will go towards upgrading outdoor learning areas for younger pupils at Mill Lane School Early Years Outdoor Learning.

Outdoor play and exploration form a key part of the Early Years curriculum, helping children develop physical skills and confidence through play.

The project aims to fund safety surfacing and astroturf, weatherproof storage, and open wooden structures to encourage creativity and imaginative play.

Ms Lacey said every donation will help create a space that ‘spark curiosity and build confidence,’ supporting early years education.

Supporters can sponsor the loom band challenge and contribute to the fundraising effort by visiting: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/qr/mnQqX94n?utm_campaign=sharemodal&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=shortlink.

The supermarket giant said they were “treating seriously” Emma Ward’s complaint over them selling pens labelled for boys or girls despite them appearing to be the same product.

The 48-year-old, who has worked with children for 30 years, says it “hit a nerve” when she spotted the gendered pens in the middle aisle of her local Aldi store.

The kids club worker says the packs of multicoloured blow pens appeared to be the exact same product in the same packaging, but one was labelled with “boys” and the other “girls”.

Aldi are reconsidering the packaging of kids’ pens – after a customer complained that they were ‘gendered for no reason’. (Image: Kennedy News & Media)

Emma says that separating the product into genders “goes against everything” she tries to teach children in her job.

Emma believes labelling the stationary could be potentially “damaging” for children, who she tries to encourage to “play with and do anything that they wish without prejudice”.

Aldi claimed they take customer feedback ‘very seriously’ and said they will take Emma’s complaint about the gendered pens ‘into account when planning future ranges and product specifications’.

Emma, from Bourne, said: “We spend our life telling the children that they can do whatever they want to do and play with whatever they want to.

“Gendering something as simple as pens just hit a nerve – it goes against everything that I’ve told the children.

“Why do it? It’s just silly really that they’re stereotyping pens to be for one gender or the other.

“It’s the exact same product, the exact same packaging and everything.

“It’s about opening possibilities for children and not closing doors on them and saying look, you can’t use this product because it’s for boys or girls.

“I think it really can be damaging, obviously when children see them, they’ll think boys and girls are different.”

Emma believes that Aldi should pull the product from their shelves – and it has made her reconsider shopping with them in the future.

An Aldi spokesperson said: “We take customer feedback very seriously and will take this into account when planning future ranges and product specifications.”