Parkinson’s disease diagnosis leads to charity link up for Nottingham Business School
Nottingham Business School (NBS) has linked up with We are Undefeatable as part of a unique community-driven initiative which spans academic collaboration, exercise programmes, and fundraising.
By Helen Breese | Published on 28 November 2024
Categories: Press office; Nottingham Business School;
The collaboration began when assistant head of department - Marketing, Ange Vickerstaff, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2021, connected the NBS Marketing department with members of the We Are Undefeatable team, a campaign supporting people with long-term health conditions to get active in a way that works for the individual.
The introduction led to NBS featuring We are Undefeatable as a case study within the Integrated Marketing Communications module, where students will develop proposals for social media engagement, press coverage, and stakeholder relationships based on scenarios developed by NBS staff and the We Are Undefeatable team.
Students have also gained valuable insights through guest lecturing and the development of learning resources by the We Are Undefeatable team, with feedback highlighting how the case study has deepened their understanding of cause marketing and behaviour change strategies.
Sophie Johnson, principal lecturer and course leader for Business Management and Marketing, said: “Marketing is often seen as big consumer brands and profit-driving, so it has been fantastic to expose our students to this kind of case study.
“Feedback has been extremely positive, with one student even thanking us for using this example, as her own sibling lives with a long-term health condition. It has opened up deeper discussions, empathy and understanding of consumers and stakeholders in a whole new context, outside of students’ comfort zones.”
Charlotte Cummings, Senior Brand Marketing Manager from We Are Undefeatable said: “We were delighted to work with NTU and feature We Are Undefeatable as a case study for their students. This marks a first for the campaign, as we aim to broaden the understanding of marketing’s potential to transform social norms and the power of diverse storytelling. We hope this module ignites a passion in the next generation of marketers, showing them that inclusive marketing can break boundaries and drive meaningful change.”
NBS colleagues took part in the 30 Miles in November challenge to support Parkinson's UK
As part of the department’s charitable commitment, and to show their support for Ange, 13 NBS colleagues have taken part in the “30 Miles in November” challenge to raise funds for Parkinson’s UK, who are one of the fifteen charities behind We are Undefeatable.
Sophie added: “We are a real mix of people who have some, none or a lot of running experience, but this has brought us together as a team to support a fantastic cause. We Are Undefeatable has been fantastic in supporting our students, so for us, it’s been about giving back, particularly since Parkinson’s UK is one of their charities. The campaign is all about increasing physical activity, so it makes sense to put our money where our mouths are, and engage in activities like running.”
In addition to their fundraising , Sophie and Ange are also participating in the NTU Sport and Wellbeing Academy exercise referral programme, where Angela is receiving specialist support from Dr Jen Wilson, who has experience working in the area and is looking at the possibility of offering some community work with Parkinson’s disease groups in the future.
Ange said: “It’s wonderful to have campaigns like We Are Undefeatable, and the support of my colleagues, to raise awareness about the benefits of physical activity for long-term health conditions like Parkinson’s. However, for me this is all about the power of communities and how we can come together to create meaningful impact. By reaching out and sometimes sharing our vulnerabilities, good things can happen for many groups.”
To donate, visit the Just Giving page.
Notes for Editors
Press enquiries please contact Helen Breese, Public Relations Manager, on telephone +44 (0)115 848 8751, or via email.
About Nottingham Business School at Nottingham Trent University
Nottingham Business School (NBS) at Nottingham Trent University (NTU) is a leader in experiential learning and personalisation of business, management and economics education and research, combining academic excellence with positive impact on people, business and society. NBS has an unrivalled level of engagement with business, public and voluntary organisations. With more than 8,500 students, NBS is also one of UK’s largest business schools.
NBS is triple crown accredited by EQUIS, AACSB, and AMBA as well as EFMD BA for International Business, which are globally recognised hallmarks of excellence and quality for business education. NBS is also accredited by Small Business Charter, providing support and development for SMEs. The school is also a PRME Champion and held up as an exemplar and beacon by the United Nations Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME).
About Nottingham Trent University
Nottingham Trent University (NTU) has been named UK ‘University of the Year’ five times in six years, (Times Higher Education Awards 2017, The Guardian University Awards 2019, The Times and Sunday Times 2018 and 2023, Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2023) and is consistently one of the top performing modern universities in the UK.
It is the 3rd best modern university in the UK (The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023). Students have voted NTU 1st in the UK for student employability (Uni Compare 2025)
NTU is the 5th largest UK institution by student numbers, with over 40,000 students and more than 4,400 staff located across six campuses. It has an international student population of almost 7,000 and an NTU community representing over 160 countries.
NTU owns two Queen’s Anniversary Prizes for outstanding achievements in research (2015, 2021). The first recognises NTU’s research on the safety and security of global citizens. The second was awarded for research in science, engineering, arts and humanities to investigate and restore cultural objects, buildings and heritage. The Research Excellence Framework (2021) classed 83% of NTU’s research activity as either world-leading or internationally excellent.
NTU was awarded GOLD in the national 2023 Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) assessment, as it was in 2019.
NTU is a top 10 for sport (British Universities and Colleges Sport league table 2023).
NTU is the most environmentally sustainable university in the UK and second in the world (UI Green Metric University World Rankings, 2023).
About We Are Undefeatable
We Are Undefeatable is a national campaign and movement to support and inspire people with long-term health conditions to be active. Featuring the real-life experiences of people with long-term health conditions, We Are Undefeatable aims to support people to build physical activity into their lives, in a way that works for them.
The campaign is led by 15 of the major health and social care charities and is backed by expertise, insight and significant National Lottery funding from Sport England.
The charities are: Age UK, Alzheimer’s Society, Asthma +Lung UK, Breast Cancer Now, British Heart Foundation, British Red Cross, Parkinson’s UK, Diabetes UK, Macmillan Cancer Support, Mind, MS Society, Parkinson’s UK, Rethink Mental Illness, Royal Voluntary Service, Stroke Association and Versus Arthritis.
We Are Undefeatable gives thanks to everyone who has played The National Lottery to make this campaign possible.