We’re dusting off the cobwebs here at Lick of Paint and celebrating a wonderful end to 2025 with the full video from this year’s festival 🫶
Looking back at this video gives us inspiration, a chance to reflect and look at how we can build on our foundations.
2026 we will be brewing on how we can make things even better while having pop up events over the year so keep your eyes peeled!
Huge thanks to everyone who took part and helped make it happen. It was truly something special.
Big shout-out to @jessjames.uk and @willcolefilms for capturing the magic ✨
And of course, a massive thank you to our 2025 supporters:
@montanacansuk@globalartsuppliesltd@spray_plantuk@clubdepadeluk@sheffieldcitycouncil@visitsheffield@1upaccess@sheffhallamuni@aesseal_plc@urban_hygiene_ltd@beerofsmod
Can’t wait to see you all in 2026 ❤️
The Parkinsons Project has been accepted into @sheffieldadventure 2025!
We are delighted to have THREE screenings across the festival: • 10:45 Sat 22 March • 12:45 Sat 22 March • 21:00 Sun 23 March
Thank you also to SHAFF judge @frit_tam for the kind words “‘There’s more to climbing than climbing rocks” and “
‘as soon as you’ve conceived that it’s possible, you’ve kind of won anyway’ - two quotes that will stay with me from the film. A beautiful film that shows the reality and optimism of living a climbing life with progressive Parkinson’s disease, with a storytelling finesse that meant I didn’t take my eyes off the screen once whilst watching.”
Half of our documentary is based in the Peak District, where @chris.mj.hamper learnt to climb and has a route (Hampers Hang) named after him! AND our director, producer and editor are all Sheffield based… so this is a really special one for us 💛
Keep your eyes peeled for tickets (going live this week!). See you soon, Sheffield!
#theparkinsonsproject #parkinsonsdisease #shaff #shaff2025 #climbingdocumentary #documentary #parkinsons #parkinsonsexercise #climbingfilms
Really excited to finally announce the release of my first feature documentary: The Parkinsons Project
Our UK Premiere will be at @showroom_cinema in Sheffield. You can get tickets here (or through link in bio)
.uk/theparkinsonsproject
This documentary has been a year in the making and follows climber Chris Hamper in his battle to keep climbing eight years after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
I want to say thank you to Chris for trusting me to tell his story; for being so open and candid throughout the filmmaking. It helped to make this documentary a very personal and touching insight into living with this incredible difficult condition.
This documentary is about a love of climbing and the community that surrounds it, and how this transcends ability and disability.
Here’s the trailer. Our Norwegian premiere is happening tonight! Big thanks to everyone helping organise the event in Dale, Norway. More details about our UK premiere to follow…
A big thank you to our supporters and funders through @crowdfunderuk who helped make this happen.
Hope you enjoy 🎥
#theparkinsonsproject #featuredocumentary #climbingdocumentary #climbingfilm #filmmaking #parkinsonsdisease #parkinsons #parkinsonsfilm
Friends, I want to tell you about our next collaboration with the film The Parkinson's Project 💙
This film is not like the others at the mountain film festivals - those are adrenaline filled and awe inspiring, yes. This film takes a different approach. It takes you deeper, to the psyche, into what it takes @chris.mj.hamper to climb against the instinct of an illness.
It is about all of the things we face, we love to do, we hope to do, we can do, we want to do, and to find acceptance in letting go of all of that, while not giving up.
We will have a Q&A with the film director @jessjames.uk and the @parkyplayers an award winning theatre group led by people with Parkinson's.
The theme for your true stories is 🤜🏼 Resilience 🤛🏼 We will have less than 9 stories this time, and each one no longer than 10mins, as usual.
This event is free - thanks to @broadwaycinema upholding the tenx9 ethos of inclusivity and community 🫶🏼
Check out story guidelines here: tenx9.com/editorialguidelines
Submissions deadline is 18 April: [email protected]
Tickets in bio and Broadway website 🎫
You do not want to miss this one 🧗🏼 We are back in Screen 2 📽️
Many thanks to @jessjames.uk for this great little edit of me at work in my studio @jankys_staberdashery
This shows some of my calligraphy design process.
These specific designs were done as tattoo flash letters. They are currently all available to be tattooed.
Chris Hamper was in his late fifties when he first realized something was wrong. A lifelong rock climber, he was clambering up a relatively straightforward ascent when his left hand just let go of its own accord. One moment he was gripping the rock face, the next moment, thin air. “I thought that was weird,” Hamper says now, some 10 years later.
A native of Coventry, a city two hours north of London, the now 68-year-old had always been an avid climber — not necessarily a guy with first ascents to his name, but always one of the first climbers to iconic British routes. Being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in late middle-age might’ve stopped all of that, but instead it’s made Hamper more appreciative for what he can do — and determined to keep climbing.
For filmmaker Jess James, Hamper’s story was not only an inspiration, but a way to draw attention to Parkinson’s. When he first heard Hamper’s story, he knew he had to tell it.
The result is the a short film called "The Parkinson’s Project." Hamper, a quintessentially dry and funny Brit, joined our correspondent from his home in Norway to delve into the film, exploring what climbing means and how the simple focus required to keep reaching upwards helps provide shape to his uncertain future.
Tap the link in our bio to read.
✍️: @tomwardwrites
📸: Jess James
Lick of paint trailer #2 👅
In our upcoming lick of paint video we highlight our mentorship program, where we had the absolute joy of working with @saraprinslooart who was paired up with the wonderful @grace_visions
It was so magic to see Sara scale up her artworks for the festival and we can't wait to see what else they will make In the future 🫶
Keep your eyes peeled for our full video coming up soon from the incredible @jessjames.uk and @willcolefilms 👀
Beautiful artwork by Tech Moon - a White Rose in the Steel City.
Filming Lick of Paint festival this weekend was brilliant: intense, colourful, beautiful, creative and fun - Sheffield at its finest.
The art and artists on display are world class and they have left our city several shades brighter 🎨
The footage is in the edit with Will Cole Film and something special is brewing ✂️🎞️
Very excited to share this one when it’s ready!
#lickofpaint #lickofpaintfestival #streetart #techmoon #sheffield #sheffieldart #streetartfilm
COMMUNITY SCREENINGS OF THE PARKINSONS PROJECT ✨📽️
Alongside film festivals & cinemas, we have had a number of community events across more than 10 countries 🌍 Including UK, Norway, Portugal, Malaysia & USA.
Shout out to everyone who has organised a screening of our film about @chris.mj.hamper climbing with Parkinson’s.
If you want to organise your own screening, no matter how big or small, no matter where in the world, please get in touch: [email protected]
We want our doc to be accessible to as many people as possible, to raise awareness & keep advocating for people with Parkinson’s disease.
Big love - Team Parkinsons Project 💛
•
#theparkinsonsproject #parkinsonsdisease #documentary #documentaryfilm #climbingdocumentary #climbing #communityevent #community
The Parkinsons Project won the People’s Choice Award (Gold) for ShAFF 2025 ⭐💛✨
A MASSIVE thank you to everyone who came and watched our film, and voted for it! We tied first place with doc Wild Places and are honoured to share this accolade with them.
Our film also won Best Climbing Film at ShAFF, so we’re pretty damn delighted… Thank you team @sheffieldadventure for your support for our documentary.
Once again, thank you to the wonderful PP team:
Featuring @chris.mj.hamper
Director @jessjames.uk
Editor @willcolefilms
Producer @elllowgun
Colour @phatdance
Sound @we_are_audio
Graphics @ Jack Walsh
We are proud to be using this documentary to advocate for people with Parkinson’s disease. After every screening, we have people reach out to us and share personal stories/ experiences: about Parkinson’s, illnesses, challenges, adversity, even loss.
People tell us how inspired and moved they feel by the film; how motivated they feel to get active and be part of their community. We feel very privileged to hear these stories. And we will keep working hard to raise awareness about Parkinson’s through storytelling.
Thank you! Team Parkinsons Project x
#theparkinsonsproject #parkinsons #parkinsonsdisease #documentaryfilm #sheffield #shaff2025 #climbingfilm #climbing #documentary
The Parkinsons Project
52 min | Norway / United Kingdom | 2024
Category : International Category | Feature Documentary
Synopsis
This documentary follows climber and teacher, Chris Hamper, as he navigates his diagnosis of Parkinson's disease.
His Parkinson's diagnosis has forced him to redefine his passion for climbing. His tremor makes tying knots and clipping gear difficult; his lack of dopamine reduces the reward and motivation process, forcing Chris to find new ways to stay inspired. And yet, once he is on the rock, climbing appears to be one of the very few activities that minimise his symptoms. Now, eight years after his diagnosis, Chris is potentially coming to the end of the ‘honeymoon’ period of his Parkinson’s. This means he could start to see the effects of the disease more acutely, including the impact it may have on his ability to continue climbing. Knowing this, Chris has taken early retirement from teaching to climb as much as possible around his home in Norway and with friends in Sheffield.
#kimff2025 #fracturedvoicesreclaimingnarratives #featuredocumentary
