Pig farmer with Parkinson’s disease to take part in charity press-ups challenge

A pig farmer with Parkinson’s disease is encouraging people to join him in completing a press-ups challenge in January for charity.

Richard Longthorpe, 71, from Howden in East Yorkshire, is undertaking the challenge to raise money for Parkinson’s UK and England Boxing to help fund coaching sessions and boxing classes for people with the condition.

Last year Mr Longthorpe raised £22,000 for charity by completing 1,000 press-ups every day for the month of January.

This year he plans to beat this record by ending his month-long challenge with a gruelling 24-hour marathon in which he will attempt to complete 10,000 press-ups by himself.

He is also encouraging others to join him in a push to accomplish one million press-ups combined.

Mr Longthorpe, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s eight years ago, took up boxing at his local club in 2022 to help to manage the condition.

Richard Longthorpe first took up boxing at 68 (St Paul’s Boxing Academy/PA)

“I put on a pair of boxing gloves for the first time in my life at age 68 and I’ve been doing it ever since,” Mr Longthorpe told the PA news agency.

“I’ve since set up two boxing for Parkinson’s groups, one at Hull and one at Goole.”

Mr Longthorpe said boxing is extremely beneficial for people suffering with Parkinson’s, helping to slow the onset of symptoms and improve strength and co-ordination.

He said he hopes his challenge will also raise awareness of living with the condition.

“When I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s I was told to come back and see the doctors in six months’ time,” he said.

“They didn’t say anything about what to expect or how to manage the condition.

“I probably first had it maybe 10 years prior, because in my situation, my sense of smell disappeared, my sense of taste disappeared, and that was way before my official diagnosis.

“Most people think of Parkinson’s as a tremor which we all get, but it’s probably the least of the symptoms in terms of effect on your life.”

Mr Longthorpe said he hopes to get 500 people involved in his press-ups challenge this year.

He also has a strategy for completing his daily 1,000 press-ups in one go.

Richard Longthorpe in the boxing ring with his grandson, also named Richard (St Paul’s Boxing Academy/PA)

“I do 15 every 45 seconds, precisely, but to do them in less than an hour, you do need to be fairly disciplined and have a time clock to guide you,” he said.

Participants will be able to post their daily press-ups tally in a challenge WhatsApp group, so Mr Longthorpe can keep a running total.

Mr Longthorpe said that although having Parkinson’s has presented challenges, it has also had a positive impact on his life.

“It isn’t the end, far from it,” he said.

“It’s the start of a different phase of your life. It sounds horribly corny, but Parkinson’s has given me opportunities which I wouldn’t otherwise have had.

“If I hadn’t gotten Parkinson’s, I wouldn’t have taken up boxing, I wouldn’t have met all the fantastic people that I now see regularly on the boxing circuit.”

To find out more, visit Mr Longthorpe’s fundraising page at https://www.gofundme.com/f/onemillionpressups4parkinsons