GUY DEACON - RUNNING ON EMPTY

An evening talk and book signing hosted by David Bennett

Thursday 18th April 2024

6.30pm drinks reception in the Mansion, talk from 7pm - 9pm in the Chapel

Stansted Park, PO9 6DX

Tickets: £30 (to include refreshments and canapes)

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At the age of sixty, and having lived with Parkinson’s disease for over ten years, Guy Deacon CBE set out on one last adventure: to drive solo from his home in the UK 18,000 miles and through twenty-five countries to Cape Town on the southern tip of Africa.

This incredible journey, across Europe and down the full length of Africa, took the former British Army officer over twelve months. Along the way, he broke down five times, underwent one emergency evacuation, and took 3,650 prescription pills.

There are only a handful of vehicles each year which attempt this difficult journey; many never complete it. Ongoing conflicts in Libya, South Sudan, Mozambique and many other countries make any journey exceptionally dangerous. In central Africa, road conditions, particularly in the rainy season, often make the going treacherous.

Further hazards include illegal checkpoints, extortion, contaminated fuel and a lack of services. Guy drove, lived and slept in his VW Transporter, often in remote spots, hundreds of miles from the nearest village or town. Reliant on patchy GPS, he often got lost. His journey was, quite simply, an incredible feat by a man travelling alone with Stage 3 Parkinson’s disease, when simply putting on a pair of shoes can take half an hour.

But not only did Guy’s journey fulfil a childhood dream to drive the length of Africa, his mission was also to raise global awareness of Parkinson’s disease, for which there is currently still no cure.

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The profits from this evening will be donated to the Cure Parkinson's Trust 

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Access Requirements 

Wheelchair friendly and step-free access around the House is available. Please note however that the lift may not be able to accommodate some motorised wheelchairs or mobility scooters. 

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Please contact us on events@stanstedpark.co.uk or by calling 02392 412 265 (opt 5) to discuss accessibility for this event further.