Guidelines for local group web editors

Guidance for local group web editors who want to update their pages on the Parkinson's UK website and set up their own web pages or social media channels.

All local groups have their own page on our website.

Remember that the website is often the first contact with Parkinson's UK for people with Parkinson's and the people who love and care for them. It's vital for putting people in touch with local support. So, it's really important to make sure that details for your group are up to date.

If you want to make changes to your local group page on the website, please complete this form and email through to [email protected]

Tips on writing for the web

Think about your audience. Focus on new people wanting to find out about support in their local area.
Give specific contact details if you can; names, numbers or email addresses. You'll need to check other volunteers are happy for this information to be shared - see our data protection training for more information.
Avoid jargon and write out abbreviations and acronyms in full.
Be as concise as possible. Write short, simple sentences. Keep paragraphs short.
For more tips, download the Parkinson's UK style guide.

Setting up your own website or social media

Some local groups choose to set up their own website, Facebook page or Twitter feed.

If the purpose of this is to host contact information with details of news and events, it may be easier to use the service we offer, as described on this page.

If you do decide to set up your own website or social media, you'll need to:

be able to provide the ongoing maintenance and support required to run a website or page (please bear in mind that we can't offer support for external sites)
ensure content is up-to-date, accurate and in accord with the charity's messaging
use our logo
include the following legal information somewhere on your site: "Parkinson's UK is the operating name of the Parkinson's Disease Society of the United Kingdom. A registered charity in England and Wales (258197) and in Scotland (SC037554). Registered office: 50 Broadway, London, SW1H 0DB."
let us know you've set up your own site; whilst we can't offer ongoing support, our local networks team are happy to give sites a once-over, and can suggest anything that might need editing (email [email protected])
Iink to the Parkinson's UK website rather than copying content if you'd like to publicise information about our services, campaigns, research and events. This ensures that you're always directing people to the most up-to-date content.
make sure you have permission to use any photographs you add
respond promptly to people posting on your social media/website, particularly new people interested in joining your group
add links to the main Parkinson's UK Facebook page and Twitter feed
add the Parkinson's UK free confidential helpline number – 0808 800 0303. This could be useful if you receive any queries through your site that you can't answer.

Any questions?

Contact our Local Support team at [email protected].