Diabetes UK is delighted to announce our new partnership with Sport England. We have received National Lottery funding through Sport England to deliver a 26-month project helping people become confident to move more.
Following the success of our We Are Undefeatable campaign last year, we are very excited to be working with Sport England again to support people in making exercise a part of their ongoing diabetes management, while feeling confident and – most importantly – enjoying being active.
Last year we consulted 1,100 people affected by diabetes, as well as healthcare professionals and wider organisations. We found that one in three people with diabetes does less than 30 minutes of activity per week, that gets them feeling warmer and breathing more. That’s potentially around 1 million people with diabetes living in England.
We all know how important an active lifestyle and maintaining a healthy weight is for managing diabetes. This year, many of us have felt anxious, worried and unable to keep active during the coronavirus pandemic, keeping active for a healthy body and mind has never been more important.
Over the next two years we’re going to be working hard to deliver a tailored program to support people with personalised and accessible exercise, as well as creating resources and information about activity and diabetes.
Tom Burton, National Partnerships Lead (Health & Inactivity) at Sport England, said:
"Sport England is delighted to be working together with Diabetes UK to help inspire and support people living with diabetes to be more active. We know from research that people living with long-term health conditions are twice as likely to be inactive as those without a health condition, and have encountered greater challenges to remain active during the pandemic.
This investment and partnership comes at a critical time and will really help provide the necessary support to build activity and all its benefits into the lives of people with diabetes. "
Exercise can be an incredibly important part of diabetes management, but the journey to living a more active life can be intimidating and confusing. And now, more than ever before, people need the support to make sustainable choices to improve their health.
That’s why we’re delighted to once more be working with Sport England to help people with diabetes to live well and move more.
Chris Askew, our Chief Executive, said:
"Thanks to the generous funding from the National Lottery, we look forward to working alongside Sport England to deliver what we hope will be a truly transformational programme, helping people with diabetes live healthier, more active lives.”
