The three weeks of the main political party conferences season are a busy time for pressure groups. They help to keep MPs, journalists, caterers and exhibition stand builders on their toes.
Why highlight pressure groups? Well, right in the mix was Charlie Nightingale, District Councillor for The Shelfords & Stapleford and supporter of Parkinson's, the progressive neurological condition which, the charity says, affects one person in every 500 in the UK.
Charlie was diagnosed with Parkinson's 10 years ago and is Chairman of the Cambridge Parkinson's UK branch.
He was at this year's Conservative conference with his wife Sue: "In three days we met 17 MPs – the conference is a great way to access them," he said.
In all, the charity had 38 meetings with MPs** and 'decision makers' during 'the season' to promote three issues it thinks will go a long way in helping those who suffer from the disease:
- How to optimise the outcome of Brexit negotiations for research.
- Getting Parkinson's in the list of medical exemptions for prescription charges so working-age people with the condition in England get their medication free.
- The need to prevent the devolution of Attendance Allowance to local authorities in England to stop its provision becoming a postcode lottery.
Following its meetings, MPs, it reports, have already asked for debates on prescription charges in parliament, spoken to their local councils about Attendance Allowance and written to government ministers about the need to prioritise research in negotiations around Brexit.
There's currently no cure for Parkinson's, but drugs and treatments are available to manage many of the symptoms, which can progress quickly and are different for everyone.
Much more about this on the Parkinson's UK website.
♦ For a photo of Charlie and Sue at the Conservative Conference, scroll down this page on the Parkinson's UK website. (If there was a caption, it would read: From left Sue Nightingale, Morgan Vine, Parkinson's UK Health Policy Advisor, Alberto Costa MP for South Leicestershire, Charlie Nightingale and Natasha Burgess, Parkinson's UK Parliamentary and Public Affairs Adviser.)
* 17 Conservative, 12 labour, 9 Lib-Dems.