“Volunteering is good because you gain skills, you learn a lot, and you get involved in many things.”
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Creating healthier communities through volunteering
For Eleanor, volunteering isn’t just something she does, it’s part of who she is. “I like volunteering because it makes me feel content with what I’ve done,” she says. “I just like helping others and being there for people.” That simple motivation has shaped years of service in her church, her community, and now with Diabetes UK.
A Lifelong Volunteer
Eleanor’s volunteering journey began long before she joined Diabetes UK. At her church, she has taken on a wide range of roles: caring for children, leading the Pathfinder group for 4–16‑year‑olds, organising events, teaching life skills, and supporting people who are unwell. She also volunteers through her church’s Health Ministries team, where she helps run health‑focused activities and events.
So, when she came across the opportunity to volunteer with Diabetes UK, it felt like a natural extension of what she was already doing. “We always use Diabetes UK information at our events,” she explains. “Talking about health and sharing resources fits perfectly with the work we do.”
Five events, hundreds reached
Over the past few months, Eleanor has led an impressive programme of diabetes awareness events, five in total, each designed to educate, empower and support her community.
It began with a grant‑funded street party focused on diabetes awareness, offering diabetes screening, blood pressure and cardiovascular checks, pre-diabetes testing and nutrition advice.
Local people passing by joined in, and more than 80 attendees took part. “We wanted to help people understand their health and reduce their risks,” Eleanor says.
Following on from the event, Eleanor lead on a Family Diabetes Support & Wellness Day in March 2026. This was a child‑friendly session with type 1 and type 2 awareness, activities for children and adult wellness workshops allowing parents to try out simple exercises.
Eleanor’s next event was a Diabetes Awareness Day in April, featuring Dr Kosolu and DigiBete, which included advice from a dietician, Diabetes UK information and Reed Wellbeing, offering Know Your Risk assessments.
A Practical Nutrition and Public Health Workshop followed. Supported by Doncaster Public Health Team the event involved a live cooking demonstration and Eleanor led a workshop on understanding food labels.
The final event in this series was a holistic health celebration event themed around: Choices, Exercise, Liquid, Environment, Belief, Rest, Air, Temperance, Integrity, Optimism and Nutrition, an acronym for celebration.
With plant‑based food, a bouncy castle, exercise activities, and more diabetes assessments from Reed Wellbeing.
There were over 300 attendees across all the events, including many who were not church members but joined after seeing the activities happening in their community.
Leading with purpose
Eleanor was the lead organiser for the entire programme, a role she takes seriously. “There’s a lot of background work,” she says. “Risk assessments, event plans, finding resources, looking after equipment, talking to doctors and presenters. You need to keep to the plan and meet deadlines, or it won’t come together.”
Her dedication paid off. The events ran smoothly, attracted strong attendance, and created a welcoming space for people to learn about diabetes and healthy living.
Making a real difference
Eleanor has seen firsthand how her volunteering benefits people living with diabetes. “People learned so much from the activities,” she says. “They saw different foods from different cultures, asked questions to the doctor, and understood their condition better.”
Children learned the 4Ts of type 1 diabetes, helping spread life‑saving awareness through families and the wider community. Several attendees were also signposted to their GP after being identified as potentially at risk of type 2 diabetes.
Looking ahead
Eleanor’s volunteering journey is far from over. She has already been invited to support a women’s wellbeing event and is excited to continue developing new skills and meeting new people. “In volunteering, I’m gaining other skills,” she says. “You know who to approach and where to go. You’re given choices because there are loads of things you can do.”
Her message to others
Eleanor encourages anyone considering volunteering to give it a try. “Volunteering is good because you gain skills, you learn a lot, and you get involved in many things,” she says. “You meet different people and have more exposure. It’s really rewarding.”
If you’ve been inspired by Eleanor’s story, you can see our volunteering opportunities on our website.
