On Saturday 19 March when the Stags welcome Stevenage to Nottinghamshire, Diabetes UK employees and volunteers will be there to offer guidance, information and support on all things relating to the condition.

Roy Bustin, Diabetes UK Volunteer Co-ordinator in the Midlands, said:

“I remember thinking,  I'll be okay. Nobody else around me has it, my mom and nan have type 2 diabetes but I didn’t know anyone who had type 1. I remember thinking I can just carry on as normal.

James O’Neill, 52, was diagnosed with the condition just before his teenage years and says it was a real struggle to manage his diabetes.

James said: “I collapsed on the football pitch, at the time I only weighed around five stone and I was really poorly. I found managing my condition every day quite difficult and I certainly didn’t take good care of myself.

Get Moving with Diabetes UK 

If you’re living with diabetes and finding it hard to get active in your day-to-day life, we’re here to help. We understand that it can be difficult to find the motivation to move more, and that sometimes it can be hard to know where to begin - especially if you’re new to exercise.  

They were chosen for the Diabetes UK Good Diabetes Care in School Award 2020 because of the support they provide to students with the condition, the help they offer to manage their diabetes safely, and the care they take to include them in all school activities. 

During these difficult times, many people are worried about going to appointments. Missing vital diabetes health checks can lead to delayed treatment and increased risk of diabetes-related complications.

Launched during Diabetes Week, the campaign will see 1,500 patient information packs given to people recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes to help them to manage the condition.

The packs are full of vital information to ensure the person living with the condition has the information needed to take control of their diabetes.

The team of four plan to kayak 160 miles along the River Thames from its source in Lechlade to central London. They will then be jumping on bikes and cycling 150 miles back up to Lincolnshire.

In the Midlands, the area with the highest prevalence was Sandwell and West Birmingham where 9.58 per cent of people were diagnosed with diabetes, followed by Leicester City (9.36 per cent), and Walsall (9.33 per cent). The lowest in the Midlands was South Warwickshire with 6 per cent while the national average was 7.1 per cent.

Moving more when you have diabetes is an important way of managing your condition and making a few small changes in your daily life can give your health a real boost.