THIS year will celebrate 200 years since the very beginning of our modern understanding of Parkinson's disease and for one Headington man it is also a chance to spread awareness of the condition.

James Parkinson published his ground-breaking essay on the 'Shaking Palsy' in 1817, establishing Parkinson's as a recognised medical condition.

To mark 200 years since that medical breakthrough David Salisbury, 62, is planning an ambitious array of 200 events from pub quizzes to church prayers.

Mr Salisbury, who was diagnosed with the disease in 2010, said: "The selfish side of what I am doing is that it makes me feel good by spreading awareness, rather than sitting around doing nothing.

"It is also good for people who have got Parkinson's to take part and also for people who don't have it to try and get more research and get more funding towards it, as well as raising awareness."

Mr Salisbury is now coming up with as many events as he can think of, including pub quizzes around the theme of Parkinson's, charity raffles and asking churchgoers to hold prayers for people with the condition.

He said that so far the response has been very positive and he has been getting local shops and residents behind the week-long project ahead of its launch in April.

He added: "It is ongoing, and I am still getting many of the events together. I had thought of a balloon race but then realised that you need a licence for that.

"So really these things do take a lot of time to organise.

"There are lots of things that you can do which are small events, I have a lot of ideas."

Explaining the motivation behind the project he said that for him being diagnosed with the condition it was important to educate not only himself but also others who did not know enough about the condition.

Mr Salisbury has previously run a 'cheaters quiz' on the condition in Headington pubs asking quiz goers to answer questions about the condition but by getting the answers through using phones or asking others, simply as a way of helping people understand it better.

James Parkinson was the first to describe 'paralysis agitans' which was later named Parkinson's disease after him.

The son of a surgeon, he was born on April 11 1755, which is why Parkinson's Awareness Week is held in April each year and April 11 is now World Parkinson's Day.

Mr Salisbury's week of events all around the Headington area will be held between April 11 and April 16.