A RETIRED army officer will battle his Parkinson’s with a fundraising trip through the Sahara Desert.

Colonel Guy Deacon, who was in charge of the Royal Armoured Corps (RAC) at Bovington from July 2015 until his retirement last year, visited the Sahara 35 years ago and ever since he has been planning a trip to drive a campervan across the arid terrain.

He could have given up on this dream trip when he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2011, but if anything this has spurred him on even more.

His mission is to raise awareness of the disease and raise money for the Cure Parkinson’s Trust to fund research into a cure.

“As a sufferer of Parkinson’s Disease there are many things I cannot do as well as I could before,” he said.

“Every day things get a bit worse and routine matters become more difficult but despite that, I am going to carry on with my plan and not let Parkinson’s Disease stop me from living a full life.

“Quite the opposite, I am now undertaking this trip to raise awareness of Parkinson’s Disease, and to raise some money for the Cure Parkinson’s Trust – a charity dedicated to finding a cure for the condition.”

Guy, who lives in Wareham, set off from his alma mater, Sherborne School, to take on this monumental challenge on Saturday, November 9.

He will drive alone in his campervan from Sherborne, through France, Spain, Morocco, Senegal and along the west coast of Africa until he reaches Sierra Leone in what he hopes will be four or five months time.

He said: “Having Parkinson’s Disease does not make life easy but it has strengthened my resolve to carry out this trip, despite everything being more difficult than I would normally expect.

“Every day, the effect of the disease means that one gets a little bit worse and it is essential for me to make the most of the time that I have left being reasonably capable and not to allow the practicalities to beat me.

“There will be a time in the future when I can no longer drive and I will become dependent on others but that time is not yet.

“And the longer I can put it off the better; and the more chance there is that a cure will become available from which I can benefit.”

Anyone who wishes to donate, may do so via his Justgiving page: http://www.justgiving.com/Guy-Deacon6