A woman with Huntington’s Disease has met Keighley’s Conservative MP to call for more support in tackling the illness.

Patricia Kates, 46, from Riddlesden, travelled with her son, Peter, and husband Chris to Westminster where she met Kris Hopkins and other new MPs to highlight the disease.

The visit coincided with the launch of an all-party parliamentary group on Huntington’s Disease, the HD Association’s “HiDden No More” campaign and articles published in The Lancet medical journal.

Mr Kates said: “We were delighted with the turnout — it was good to meet people who are in the same position as us.

“We are currently trying to re-launch the West Yorkshire branch of the Huntington’s Disease Association to provide support for sufferers and their families.”

Mr Hopkins said: “It was an extremely informative and worthwhile exercise for me, in terms of learning more about the exact nature of HD from the medical professionals and — most importantly — meeting up with the Kates family, who I have known for many years, and finding out how Pat is coping with her illness.

“I look forward to doing everything I can to assist families in Keighley and Ilkley affected by the condition.”

HD is an incurable hereditary illness of the central nervous system that affects muscle co-ordination and cognitive function.

It usually reveals itself in middle age and in time sufferers need full-time care.

Every child of someone with HD has a 50 per cent chance of inheriting the disease.

Anyone interested in getting involved in the West Yorkshire HD branch should contact regional care advisor Peter Burns on 0191 2573289.