The brief: helping families understand Parkinson’s and movement through story
When we partnered with Parkinson’s UK on Planet Exercise, the brief was clear. Create a story that would help children understand Parkinson’s in a way that felt accessible and not frightening, while showing that movement can play an important role in living well with the condition. It was about helping families enjoy something together and opening up conversations about Parkinson’s across generations.
By grounding the adventure in lived experience and weaving Parkinson’s UK’s key messages into the story, we were able to explore these ideas in a way that felt engaging, fun and meaningful for both children and adults.
Starting with lived experience: learning what Parkinson’s really means day to day
As always, we knew the best place to start was with the people who know it best, so we invited people with lived experience of Parkinson’s to join our community creatives group for people aged 60+, Hearts & Minds, alongside our facilitator, writer, musician and local children, to build the story together.
Our new members from the local Parkinson’s UK Tameside and Glossop support group shared generously with the rest of the group about living with Parkinson’s and what it meant to them. One of the biggest things we learned was that there is no single Parkinson’s story. Every person’s experience is different. There are good days and bad days. Symptoms fluctuate. Movement and exercise look different for everyone.
We also learned about experiences like freezing, making sure they were represented in the story in a way that felt authentic and understandable for children.
Creating together: using creativity to turn lived experience into story
Over several weeks, we explored ideas through storytelling, music, drama and movement. Chair-based exercise became part of the creative process itself, with participants sharing exercises, inventing chants and building scenes together. The result is a story where movement feels joyful, playful and achievable rather than something clinical or prescribed.
That creative approach also created space for people to connect as people first. Michelle, who joined us from the Parkinson’s UK group, described the workshops as one of the best experiences of her life. She enjoyed being creative, felt listened to, and valued how conversations continued naturally beyond the sessions over cups of tea.
Making movement part of the adventure: bringing Parkinson’s UK’s message to life
As Jed Parsons, Physical Activity Delivery Manager from Parkinson’s UK, explained, the project helped bring their messages to life:
“Working with Made by Mortals has shown how creative approaches can inspire people with Parkinson’s to move in ways they may never have considered before. By combining storytelling, music, movement and intergenerational experiences, this project has created a fun environment where participants can build confidence, connect with others and discover that physical activity doesn’t have to look like traditional exercise. It’s also been fantastic to help raise awareness of Parkinson’s among younger generations, helping children develop a greater understanding of the condition while seeing first-hand that physical activity can take many forms and play an important role in living well with Parkinson’s.”
For Michelle, the finished story captured the message she hoped children and families would take away from the project:
“What I hope children get from the podcast is that if they have a family member with Parkinson’s they will not be scared. I think this story absolutely nails what Parkinson’s is. Children will really get it, but I think adults will learn from it as well. It will take away some of the fear. You can still have a zest for life. You live with and through it. Life can get tougher, but underneath all that you are still the same person.”
Sharing the story: reaching families through Armchair Adventures
Through our podcast platform, Armchair Adventures, those messages are now reaching thousands of families, with over eight thousand listens so far.
You can find our three-part Planet Exercise adventure here:
The impact that continues beyond the podcast
We’re also looking forward to bringing everyone back together for a celebration event with the local primary school that helped create the episodes and members of the Tameside and Glossop Parkinson’s UK support group. We’ll listen to the adventure together, revisit the story through drama activities, and celebrate what we made together.
Later this summer, we’ll also release a fourth “Unpacked” episode where the intergenerational team reflects on the themes behind the adventure.
For us, this project is a reminder of what happens when organisations trust lived experience to lead the creative process. The creative process was not separate from the message. It was the way we were able to make that message meaningful, memorable and something families wanted to spend time with.
Facts and information matter, but when people laugh, feel something, recognise themselves or care about a character, the message stays with them. That’s how stories help important ideas travel further and reach audiences in a way information on its own rarely can.
About Armchair Adventures
Armchair Adventures is a multi-award-winning podcast for kids – aged 6-8. It’s super-fun, educational and interactive – meaning it’s packed with sing and move-along activities!
Each episode is a new adventure of your imagination with Connie her gang of explorers – including you! Adventures include exploring a superhero lair, ballroom dancing and diving into a coral reef! Every episode also has an educational message for our mini adventurers like climate change, racial equality and recycling.
Armchair Adventures won Bronze at The British Podcast Awards 2022, has been profiled on BBC Radio 4’s Podcast Hour, in Podbible, featured on Podcast Radio, commended by HRH Prince William and is the first kids podcast available in-flight on all Virgin Atlantic flights!