GLASGOW is full of women - mothers, daughters, sisters, grans - going the extra mile for someone they love.

But Maria Righetti is prepared to go the extra 50 - and she's hoping she will take around 300 other runners, joggers and walkers with her.

Maria, from Clarkston, is the driving force behind Michael's Movers, a charity she set up in 2012 to raise funds for people with Parkinson's Disease.

The Michael of the title is her husband, who was diagnosed with the disease at the unusually young age of 31.

In just two years, they have raised around £100,000.

Its flagship event is the Fantasy Island 50, a sponsored run or walk around the isle of Cumbrae on September 20.

"I did the first one as a challenge for my 50th birthday," explains Maria, now 53, adding with a groan: "It was hard - five times round the island, starting and ending in Millport, about 50 miles in total. My friends always thought I was crazy and this was the icing on the cake."

She smiles: "But we did it, and raised lots of money, and it's still going strong four years later."

Around 70 people took part in the first one, last year it was 170 and this year, Maria is going for a target of 300.

"You don't have to do all five laps. You can just do one, and you can walk or jog it," she explains.

"But you can't cycle," adds her husband, Michael, with a chuckle.

Michael, 54, was diagnosed 23 years ago, after a friend noticed he was walking differently.

"We were out jogging together - I was on a bit of a health kick - and my friend asked me if I was injured because my arm was hanging strangely," he says.

Maria adds: "We thought it was a trapped nerve, something simple, so when we got the diagnosis of Parkinson's it was a real shock.

"No-one really knows why Michael got it.

"It could be hereditary - his gran had it, but his brother is fine - or sometimes environmental factors play a part."

Michael's health deteriorated quickly, and with six-year-old twin daughters to look after, life for the couple became a challenge.

"The girls being so young, that was the hardest part," recalls Maria.

"And he was on a horrendous cocktail of drugs, which brought its own problems. But you just adapt, don't you? You get on with it."

Maria's unfailing optimism and energy - she set up a support group for sufferers and their families, and is also running 500 10ks in 500 days for the charity - has amazed Michael.

I AM astonished by her stamina and enthusiasm," he says. "I support her one hundred per cent."

Maria adds with a laugh: "But he says if I take on any more challenges after this one, he'll divorce me..."

Despite Michael's obvious difficulties with speech and movement, both he and Maria are determined to be positive.

They have known each other since they were children.

"I had a huge crush on Michael when I was little," smiles Maria.

"I was the one who did all the chasing...

"I ran two fish and chip shops in Millport and Michael's family owned the Ritz Cafe, but when he got ill, we moved off the island."

A ground-breaking operation 10 years ago, called deep brain stimulation (DBS), helped reduce Michael's symptoms.

"He has wires connecting his brain to a central device, a bit like a pacemaker, which sends the signals to his brain allowing his muscles to move," explains Maria.

"If it was turned off, within half an hour, Michael wouldn't be able to talk or walk..."

She jokes: "Sometimes, of course, that could come in handy...

"But more seriously, although some of his symptoms have returned since the operation, but without it I have no doubt Michael would not be here.

"Research into this disease is so important - things are advancing all the time.

"That's why Michael's Movers exists, to fund research and projects that could transform people's lives."

Maria, who is a personal trainer, is touched by the support she has had from friends, clients and neighbours, not just in Millport, but all over Glasgow and the central belt.

"We have one girl, Joanne Chalmers, who is doing the run and has already raised £1800," she explains.

"That's a huge effort. I'm really grateful to everyone who has supported us - it's just fantastic."

l One person in every 500 has Parkinson's.

l Symptoms and how quickly they progress are different for everyone.

l There is no cure, but drugs and treatments are available to manage many of the symptoms.

l Michael's Movers raises money for research and other projects supporting people with Parkinson's and their families.

l To take part in the Fantasy Island 50, a walk or run around Cumbrae on September 20, visit www.michaelsmovers.org or donate at www.justgiving.com/michaelsmovers/donate