A PARKINSON’S sufferer has started a pub quiz that encourages teams to cheat so they learn more about the disease.

David Salisbury, 60, from Headington, has hosted quizzes that included questions about the condition and made it a rule for competitors to seek help finding the answers.

Players were allowed Google, talk among teams and even phone a friend during Parkinson’s Awareness Week last week.

The 60-year-old was diagnosed with the progressive neurological condition in 2010 and has since tried to come up with ways to raise the profile of the disease.

And the intuitive idea has been a real hit among punters, with three pubs in Oxford hailing it a success.

Mr Salisbury said: “I came up with the idea as part of the awareness week by adding some specific Parkinson’s questions to a standard pub quiz.

Competitors were encouraged to cheat and use web searches, phone a friend or ask another team for the answers to see questions, which exposes the wealth of support.

“By searching for the answer they learn about Parkinson’s. The competitors said they found this a novel idea and a fun way to learn.

“It feels that I am achieving something that will be useful. The charity and raising awareness has given me some purpose in life.”

People with Parkinson’s don’t have enough of the chemical dopamine because some nerve cells in the brain have died.

Without dopamine people can start to experience symptoms such as tremors, rigidity and slowness of movement.

There is currently no cure and experts do not yet know why people get the condition.

Mr Salisbury said he gets a lot of satisfaction from helping others.

With support from his wife Jane, 62, he has taken part in research trials for Parkinson’s UK and help the charity raise awareness. He has also raffled off prizes donated by Headington businesses as part of raise awareness week.

He added: “My family have been very supportive, especially Jane. The children – Chloe, Amy and Nicholas – take it worse because I don’t see them as often because they live away.

“I’m in the early stages of it but the discovery project we have been running and doing the quizzes has been great.”

The Butchers Arms in Wilberforce Street, Headington, was one of the pubs that took part in the “please cheat pub quiz” and more than £50 was raised.

Landlord Paul Hitchcock saidthe evening Mr Salisbury organised was a success.

He added: “David stood up and spoke towards the end about Parkinson’s and how he lives his day-to-day life with it. It was incredibly powerful seeing someone talk about the effects it has on their life. It was more than words.

“David gave us 15 questions to include into our usual quiz and it worked well and people were very generous, there were about 75 people who took part. What we raised is a drop in the ocean but a lot of people came away more aware and a bit more humble.”