Monday 7 October 2013

DUK Big Collection Weekend.

Over the past weekend (4th - 6th of October) you may have noticed people at your local Tesco store wearing blue wigs collecting money for Diabetes UK. Kind of like this:

Alice and I post Big Collection and very happy with the money raised! Go Norwich!

Yesterday afternoon, I stood outside my local participating Tesco store, bucket in hand ready to raise some funds for Diabetes UK. 

Why?

Because the funds raised will be invested in the following (taken directly from the Diabetes UK Big Collection page):
  • Life-changing support for millions of people with diabetes, so they feel less scared and isolated by their condition;
  • Preventing thousands of future cases of type two diabetes, meaning that fewer families are affected by the devastating effects of this condition;
  • Research into a vaccine that could stop forever the development of type one diabetes in children.
All extremely good reasons, in my opinion! 

Over the course of my three hour shift, I had the chance to talk to a number of people, mostly those affected by diabetes themselves. Despite knowing the statistics when it comes to the number of people affected by diabetes in the UK, I was still shocked by the number of people approaching me telling me they were diabetic themselves and little bits of their stories, from battles with the GP over test strips to the transition from injections to an insulin pump, from facing complications to one lady telling me that her type one daughter had recently had a baby.

Hearing such stories made me glad I was standing in the wind collecting money for Diabetes UK. Not only is it a charity close to my heart, but I heard how the money would help others too. It will help fund support for those affected; help prevent further cases of type two diabetes and the complications that can occur as a result of it; help to fund research into a vaccine in the hope that that lady's grandchild won't have to worry about a future with diabetes in it.

So whether you volunteered, donated, stopped to chat with the volunteers up and down the country or just gave them a smile of encouragement, thank you. You kept us going and the money raised this weekend is going to help so many people. 

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