Since returning back to the UK in December 2022 Guy has been busy one way or the other to ensure that the time that he spent in Africa visiting people with Parkinson’s or carers of those people with Parkinson is not wasted and here is his most recent update:

I think I have mentioned to you before that we had a major television channel interested. I can now confirm after a period of opacity, that Channel 4  are going to take the documentary and air it on their terrestrial channel on or about 11 April this year which is World Parkinson’s Day. This is an extraordinary achievement and great credit goes to Rob Hayward who shot the film and has edited it so far. Donations I have received paid for everything he has done, notably his travel and some accommodation, some professional editing by a third-party, local fixers on the ground in various countries and some equipment.  Without the contributions, we would not have been able to take what Rob has shot to Channel 4, and if I’m honest, one of the reasons they are taking it is that it was largely finished and will cost them relatively little to polish off ready for transmitting. Of course, they are very impressed by the artistic work and the technical aspects that Rob has shown in making the film, but there’s nothing like being offered such a piece of work on a plate for next to nothing! So, for that reason all those that have made donations are entirely responsible for the success so far and the fact that it’s going to be aired on television, and it will be seen by many millions more than we might have achieved ourselves. 

The film will be accompanied by a book which “I” have been writing with assistance from somebody who knows about these things and the first edit/draft is finished. There is plenty of work to do to make it into a bestseller and that is where we are right now. We have a publication date of April and are on track. The book will be launched on World Parkinson's Day (April 11^th), and even though it is not available until then, it is rising slowly up the amazon best sellers list.  The higher it climbs the greater the exposure and the wider the readership is likely to be thus spreading the message further. So, to that end please consider ordering a copy or copies now for delivery in April.  You can either enter “Guy Deacon Running on Empty" into your Amazon search engine or follow this link https://amzn.eu/d/8HpkJIz which should take you there.  I should add that all proceeds from the book are going to Parkinson’s charities. In addition, I will be delivering a number of presentations around the country promoting the book, as well as a number of ticketed events to raise money for Cure Parkinson's  (https://cureparkinsons.org.uk/) and Parkinson's Africa (https://www.parkinsonsafrica.org/), (the beneficiaries of all my work and effort ) so at some point in April or May it might be that you are near where I’m doing a talk and I would love to see you there. I have a website (https://www.guydeacon.co.uk/) which is rather general at the moment but will eventually give details of where talks will be taking place. The donations I received made all the difference not just in paying for the film, but in terms of the support shown to me when setting out and during the journey. And for that I’m deeply grateful.

If you have read this far, I have one favour to ask; I do not want to charge people for tickets to come and listen to me talk. I want people to give freely to Cure Parkinson's or Parkinson’s Africa so I’m looking for sponsorship for these talks. I don’t want anything from you, but it might just be that somebody out there knows of a company or organisation that is prepared to sponsor me as I complete the last and most important piece of work.  Completing the journey was a personal achievement, of which I’m very proud, but making sure enough people know about the journey, and the people I met along the way with Parkinson’s, or dealing with Parkinson’s is the real goal.  Any ideas are most welcome!