RaW broadcast 50-hours non-stop for Parkinson’s UK

RaW 1251AM, the University of Warwick’s student radio station, completed a non-stop 50-hour broadcast last week in aid of the charity Parkinson’s UK.

Taking place between 1-3 February, groups of students took turns hosting the live show, which ran throughout day and night.

Some highlights included live broadcasting from Pop!, including a guest appearance from Disco Dave, as well as numerous donations for Station Manager and History finalist, Nick Harris, to do the show in his underwear – something he did indeed relent to.

The RaW Appeal is usually an annual event to raise money for charity, though last year’s in aid of the mental health charity, Mind, had to be called off due to bad weather.

RaW’s initial target of £1800 was quickly beaten, raising over £2000 in the Appeal.

Parkinson’s UK is a support and research charity for Parkinson’s disease, a degenerative disorder that affects the central nervous system slowly over time.

The most commonly associated symptoms are shaking and difficulty moving which occur early in the disease, with dementia and other conditions developing as the disease progresses.

Parkinson’s is still a fairly misunderstood disease, with research constantly discovering new causes and treatments.

Some public personalities with the disease have also helped to increase awareness, such as actor Michael J Fox and the late boxer Muhammad Ali.

Nick Harris commented: “Every year we vote on exec for a new charity and this year our Head of Music, Neil MacQuarrie suggested the brilliant charity, Parkinson’s UK, after his family was affected by the condition.

“In aid of Parkinson’s UK we decided to do something we hadn’t done before. So, we came up with RAW’s Parkinson’s Appeal: 50 hours non-stop from our studios (day and night), in a way that meant members across the society could team up to produce unique shows all for charity. Thank you to all who have supported us so far, its exceeded all of our expectations!”