Helpline's Christmas Opening Hours 2020

[Reah]

Hello everyone,

I just wanted to pop in to let you know about the Helpline’s Christmas Opening Hours.

If you find you need support over this Christmas period, lots of useful information can can be accessed online at any time. Our national team of advisers will also be available over the Christmas period.

We’re aware that this year is especially difficult for many people and whilst we can be very busy during this period, our priority continues to be supporting those people who most need us.

For those that wish to chat online to other people affected by Parkinson’s, our online community is a space you can talk to people who understand what you’re going through.

Our national helpline opening hours are:

Mon 21 December - Open 9-7 (normal working day)
Tues 22 December - Open 9-7 (normal working day)
Wed 23 December - Open 9-6
Thurs - Christmas Eve - Open 09:00 - 12.30
Fri - Christmas Day - CLOSED
Sat - Boxing Day - CLOSED

Mon 28 Dec - Open 10 -1
Tues 29 Dec - Open 10- 1
Wed 30 Dec - Open 10-1
Thurs 31 Dec - Open 10 - 1
Fri - New Years Day - CLOSED

Sat - 02 Jan - Open 10-2 (normal working day)
From Mon 04 Jan onwards - Open 9-7 (normal working days)

Best wishes.
Reah
Forum Community Manager

[chrissie.06]

I have just logged on to the new style forum and have had great difficulty even finding a reply button to which to send my comments. I was used to the old forum which I used with ease. Any Forum, let alone one for people whose motor skills and thought processes are slow should be intuitive and not require additional tuition. Logging on for the first time I wanted to see immediately the categories of subject in some kind of order, Preferably alphabetical; them posts in date order . The ability to reply easily and promptly. I was half way through a message before I realised i was replying to a post from 1998. I find the various colours a distraction as I dont know what they mean and the icons too small for them to be meaningful. English spelling is a must for an English charity . Has the forum been assessed by the Plain English Society? not sure if they comment on fora. I certainly wont be using the forum. I feel too angry and frustrated that with the millions of government money going into PUk the forum is clearly too complicated for people to use easily.
I should like to know how today’s usage compares with that of 2014 and how much the change in forum design cost.

[Reah]

Hi @chrissie.06,

Welcome back to the forum.

I’m really sorry to hear that you’ve been struggling to use the forum. I’m happy to help you with this in any way I can - we have created short tutorial videos for new members which you may find helpful. You can find this here: How to use the forum - Tutorial videos!

With regard to the categories, you can find this on the home page and I have attached an image for your attention below.

We created the platform for people with Parkinson’s and when we updated the forum a few years ago, we consulted with members from the forum at the time and invited them to test the platform - they all agreed that the forum was user friendly. However, we understand that some may find it more challenging than others (particular new members to the forum) which is why we created the forum tutorial videos as a helping hand to anyone that may need it.

Again, I am here to help in any way I can and I’m truly sorry if you feel angry and frustrated.

Finally, it may be helpful for you to know that you can contact our dedicated feedback team who can address your comments or complaints so please feel free to email them at [email protected] or call 020 7963 9324 if you wish to share your feedback on the forum.

Best wishes,
Reah
Forum Community Manager