Muhammad has been a Community Champion with us for 6 years. He shares what volunteering means to him and how he has raised awareness of the importance of diabetes health checks.

Motivations for volunteering

My motivation to volunteer for Diabetes UK comes from a very personal place. Coming from a South Asian background, I have seen first-hand how common diabetes is within our communities and how deeply it can affect families.

Ten years ago, my father was diagnosed with diabetes. Over time, this led to congestive cardiac failure as a result of diabetic cardiomyopathy. I still remember being by his side in the intensive care unit, watching him courageously and patiently fighting through a serious cardiac complication. Thankfully, with God’s grace and the right treatment and medication, he continues to manage his condition well today.

That experience changed me. It made me realise how important early awareness and education are in preventing type 2 diabetes and its potential complications. I decided that no son should have to see his father go through what mine did, and no father should have to develop diabetes when it can sometimes be prevented. That belief became the driving force behind my journey into volunteering with Diabetes UK and why I want to make a difference in the lives of others.

Becoming a Diabetes UK volunteer

My journey into volunteering with Diabetes UK really began long before I joined the organisation. Coming from a background in public health medicine, I have always been passionate about health education and health promotion, and over the years, I have had the privilege of working with a number of UK-based charities. But the real turning point came thanks to my fellow Community Champion, Mr Rafiq, who introduced me to Diabetes UK.

At the time, I was searching for a meaningful platform to contribute to diabetes awareness, which was a cause I felt deeply connected to. Diabetes UK offered me exactly that. I attended my first volunteer training session in 2019, and from that moment onwards, I never looked back.

Since then, I have had the pleasure of working alongside an incredible group of volunteers and Community Champions. Together, we have created opportunities to engage with communities, spark conversations, and ultimately make a difference in how people understand and manage diabetes.

Helping people to access better diabetes care

Supporting people to access diabetes essential care has genuinely become one of the most fulfilling aspects of my volunteering. I have had the privilege of working closely with Steph, our Engaging Communities Officer, to reach communities across Slough and Windsor, and I have also partnered with the South East Coast and London team. Together, we have been committed to helping people understand their diabetes more clearly and encouraging them to take up regular diabetes health checks.

Although these checks are straightforward, their impact is enormous. They pick up early warning signs, prevent complications, and empower people to live healthier, more confident lives. Sadly, many still miss out, which is exactly why our role as volunteers matters so much.

To make health checks more accessible, I collaborated with a local health team last year to bring a mobile health clinic directly to employees at the Progress Business Centre in Slough. The turnout exceeded expectations, with many individuals receiving checks they had been delaying for far too long.

My background in health and social care management has also enabled me to support care homes and extra care schemes across Slough, Windsor, and London. I initiated a ‘Diabetes Ready’ campaign and managed to reach over 75 elderly residents and care workers. It was encouraging to see how many of them felt more informed and confident afterwards, and even more inspiring to witness some make meaningful, life-enhancing changes to their daily habits.

Stand out highlights and successes

There have been many memorable moments during my time with Diabetes UK, but a few stand out.

One moment that has stayed with me was supporting an elderly gentleman with diabetes. He loved drinking regular cola (sugary carbonated drink) each day. Through a gentle, person-centred conversation, alongside guidance from his nutritionist, we explored simple alternatives that still honoured his preferences. He agreed to try diet cola, and with steady encouragement over the following months, his HbA1c improved so significantly that his doctor reduced his Metformin dose by half. Seeing his pride and renewed confidence was incredibly moving, and it reminded me that meaningful change often begins with one compassionate conversation and a shared willingness to try something new.

Another memorable moment was when I was invited by a local charity in Slough to deliver a talk on Ramadan and diabetes. After the session, one of the attendees approached me to specially thank me for delivering such an insightful session. She shared that she had been living with diabetes for years, yet had never fully realised how important early preparation and awareness were, especially during Ramadan. 

Hearing how the session had given her clarity, confidence, and a sense of reassurance was incredibly humbling, and it reinforced why culturally tailored education can have such a profound impact.

A further highlight was the overwhelmingly positive response to the mobile health clinic I helped organise at the Progress Business Centre in Slough. One attendee shared feedback that truly stayed with me: “I really appreciated this initiative as it gave me the chance to finally check on my health, which I had put off for too long. With how busy life gets, activities like this help us identify issues early and take action. I hope it becomes a regular service.” Hearing this reinforced just how impactful it can be when we take health services directly into workplaces and make preventative care easier, more accessible, and part of everyday life.

Future plans for volunteering at Diabetes UK

I absolutely plan to continue volunteering! My commitment to this cause continues to grow, and I am excited about what lies ahead.

I am eager to take part in more community initiatives, spreading awareness and championing local support. One of my biggest aspirations is to help establish a local Diabetes Action Alliance and a Diabetes Support Group for people in Slough to offer spaces where individuals can access support, share experiences, and build confidence in managing their condition.

I have also begun working closely with our Engaging Communities Officer, Steph, to deliver diabetes organisational training across workplaces. I am keen to continue to expand this, ensuring that major employers in Slough prioritise diabetes awareness and support their workforce effectively.

Ultimately, my hope is to help create a community where diabetes awareness is embedded, health checks are normalised, and every person feels empowered to manage their condition.

If you’ve been inspired by Muhammad’s story, you can find out more about volunteering and raising awareness of diabetes health checks. 

Six months since it started, the Southport and Ormskirk Diabetes Support Group has grown from just six members to more than 20 regular attendees. “It’s grown wonderfully well – it’s amazing,” Peter says. “It’s so inspirational to see it grow the way it has.”

A community hub

The group meets at a welcoming local pub which is a community hub for many groups in the area. The pub, which Peter describes as “the perfect venue”, kindly offers the space free of charge. “The pub plays a big part. We don’t want to charge people a subscription,” says Linda, who supports Peter with running the group. “It would be off-putting for some people.” Members only pay for their own refreshments, making the group accessible to all. The group welcomes people of all different ages and experiences with diabetes.

Support and shared experiences

Meetings are informal and friendly. “When new people come in, we give them a chance to talk about their journey,” Peter explains. “That helps – people can be shy at first, but most people want to get things off their chest.” Linda agrees and adds: “We’re a very nurturing group. People use it for the time they need, and that’s fine. They can leave and come back.”

Linda, who worked in NHS Children’s Services for almost thirty years, brings a passion for the prevention and remission of type 2 diabetes. “I wanted to widen the reach of information, education and support” she says.

Highlights and success stories

Peter and Linda acknowledge that a large part of the group’s success has come from how well they work together. “We’re a good team” Peter says. “We talk all the time.”

Peter and Linda are particularly pleased with how the group supports people who are newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Members share what has worked for them, and the information resources they’ve found helpful.

The group has already had some encouraging feedback from its members. One member shared:

“Congratulations to each and every one of you. You are fundamentally changing lives. I’ve lost over 10 kilograms; I feel heaps better and I’ve been able to start running again—and I’m 70 in January!”

Social events have also helped members bond. “I was hesitant about doing a social,” Linda admits, “but it went brilliantly.” The group are now planning at least two socials a year, balancing these with information sharing sessions on topics such as nutrition and exercise.

Reaching Out

The group is committed to tackling inequity, which is one of our ambitions at Diabetes UK. Linda recently volunteered at an event with the Southport African and Caribbean Heritage Association, sharing Diabetes UK resources tailored for African and Caribbean communities. “It was a lovely family event,” she recalls. “I handed out resources and said, ‘We’ve got this support group!’”

Looking Ahead

Peter and Linda would like to continue to grow the group and connect with other community groups in the area. 

Plans for 2026 include sessions focused on footcare, the benefits of movement and exercise, sharing stories from people living with diabetes and stress management.

Finally, what would they say to anyone thinking of joining the group? “Come and join us,” says Peter. “We’ll make you very welcome.” Linda adds “we are there to support everyone."

If you live in the Southport and Ormskirk area, you can find out more about the group on their webpage: Southport and Ormskirk Community Group.

If Peter and Linda have inspired you to volunteer, you can find out more about volunteering with us here.

Joseph has been a volunteer with us since October 2024 and balances his volunteering with studying for a MSc in diabetes at the University of Chester.

With a medical background, having trained as a Sonographer, it was through his work that Joseph became interested in diabetes research.

He also has a personal connection to the cause with family members living with diabetes and would like to help more people to know their risk of type 2 diabetes earlier. Joseph has found out that he is at higher risk due to his family history.

Motivations for getting involved

Joseph’s motivation for volunteering stems from his belief that “the greatest measure of who we are is what we love and how we spend our time.” For him, that means giving time to supporting others, adding value to their lives, and having a sense of purpose.

Encouraged by a friend already volunteering with us, Joseph applied to be a volunteer and hasn’t looked back since, sharing information and raising awareness in his community.

Learning through volunteering

Despite his medical training, Joseph is quick to say that volunteering at Diabetes UK has taught him new and unexpected things.

He explains that a large part of this has been the induction and training he has received, led by our Engaging Communities Officer in the North of England, Vanessa. Joseph has also learned from attending online workshops and community outreach events.

“It’s been brilliant. Vanessa has helped me to be more human when it comes to diabetes,” he shares. 

“I’ve learned how to speak to people, understand them, and support them - even when conversations are difficult.”

Making a difference as an Impact Volunteer

Joseph is an Impact Volunteer with us. This is a flexible role that involves carrying out small actions that make a big difference to people affected by diabetes.

As an Impact Volunteer, Joseph uses social media to amplify Diabetes UK’s messages, sharing research updates, awareness campaigns, and educational content. During Type 2 Diabetes Prevention Week, he created posts on LinkedIn, Instagram and his WhatsApp status to share our videos and signpost to our website for more information.

One of the highlights of his volunteering has come from sharing the Know Your Risk tool. The response was overwhelming, with people asking questions and expressing surprise that the free tool exists. “It was fulfilling to know I was helping people understand something that could change their lives,” he says.

Reflecting on the tool a bit more, Joseph acknowledges that he wasn’t aware about it before becoming a volunteer. He wants to help others to know about it especially if they have a family background of diabetes.

“One thing I love about the tool is when you know your risk, it tells you what you need to know and do next.”

Looking ahead

Joseph is particularly passionate about supporting people diagnosed with pre-diabetes. When he has volunteered at events in the community, he’s noticed a gap in information and guidance and is advocating for more structured support. “Having pre-diabetes doesn’t mean you’ll definitely develop type 2 diabetes,” he explains. “With the right help, it can be prevented.”

Joseph plans to continue both as an Impact Volunteer and as a volunteer in his local community. He is keen to get involved with our community groups and hopes to contribute to our research efforts in the future.

When asked what he would say to others thinking of volunteering, he says “we spend so much time on social media now - why not use it to help someone else? Micro-volunteering is one of the most fulfilling things you can do.”

If Joseph’s story has inspired you to get involved, take a look at our at our volunteering opportunities.

Vicky, who lives with type 1 diabetes, has been volunteering with Diabetes UK for three years – initially setting up a group to support colleagues at West Yorkshire Police where she’s been a serving officer for 17 years. She joined our Stigma Panel a year ago, helping to shape what we do to tackle diabetes stigma.

“I was a serving police officer when I was diagnosed and while it wasn’t the organisation's fault, there was a complete lack of understanding - particularly around type 1 diabetes and the impact on your role, shift work and reasonable adjustments.”

Vicky talked to a colleague about their collective experiences of diabetes at work and decided to set up a group to support those living with diabetes. Initially just a handful of people, it’s now grown to over 50 members, covering forces across all of Yorkshire and the Humber. The group supports people living with type 1 and type 2 diabetes as well as parents of children with type 1.

“There's that support structure in place so that we can share those experiences and things that have happened to us and help other people avoid them in the future – I’ve really seen the benefit of that recently as we’ve had a couple of newly diagnosed members join and that’s been invaluable.”

Experiences at work

As if a diagnosis isn’t enough to cope with, there were a lot of unanswered questions at work that followed.

“It’s quite a big thing because all of a sudden you're thinking right can I still be a police officer? Can I still drive a car with blue lights on? Am I still going to have a job? That had a huge impact on me and when you look around and nobody can tell you – and they don't know the stress and anxiety that causes you is completely off the wall.”

Vicky says that there’s something satisfying about being able to reassure those who are newly diagnosed that it is something they’ll come to terms with and understand how it fits into their life and ultimately do all the same things they’ve done before.

“I want people to have a better experience than I did when I was diagnosed. I was sent home from hospital at 3:30pm on a Friday with a box of Levemir and some Novorapid and told, ‘Right, have a go over the weekend and we'll see you Monday.’”

Vicky’s volunteering with us began because she wanted to make sure the support and information she was giving colleagues was accurate and up to date and not just based on her own experiences. It’s been important to remember that things have changed a lot over the time she’s lived with diabetes. Making sure people have the right information to manage their own diabetes and advocate for themselves has been critical.

Supporting others and tackling stigma

One of Diabetes UK’s key priorities is to tackle the impacts that diabetes stigma has on people, and Vicky’s volunteering has been addressing that, both in the workplace and guiding the charity’s plans for the long term. At work she’s led the way in advocating for herself and others, making sure that misconceptions about diabetes are clarified and that her colleagues have the support they need.

“I think certainly those immediate line managers around me, maybe six or eight senior officers have really understood what having diabetes means and the impact that it can have, and that’s a result of me talking about my condition and what I need to have in place to be confident at work.”

Vicky knows that your health is something that you can’t get back once it’s gone, and so she has needed to make sure colleagues know that diabetes is recognised under the Equality Act. The act states that people living with a long-term health condition are entitled to reasonable adjustments and that can include things like not working night shifts as part of their working pattern.

Vicky has been part of our Stigma Panel since it was formed in early summer 2024 and has played a big role in shaping the work of the charity, not just in 2025 but with an eye on the longer-term as well. Being involved in the panel also gave Vicky the opportunity to talk about her experiences of stigma at the Diabetes UK Professional Conference earlier this year, which she says is one of her proudest moments as a volunteer.

“To get up in front of a large audience of well-educated people and speak about something that's really personal to you… well it was really nerve-wracking. I think sometimes the more personal it is the more difficult it is. So afterwards when people came up to me saying “that was brilliant”, you do get a huge sense of achievement. I tried to make my diabetes into something positive and to think I've made an impact over something that can sometimes have quite a negative impact on me was huge.”

Making sure that both employers and colleagues understand the impact of stigma at work is a big priority for Vicky and making sure that forms part of Diabetes UK’s plans to tackle stigma was vital.

“Somebody I've worked with for a long time came in as I was taking my insulin and asked me what I was doing and seemed quite shocked. I also don’t think anyone should have to be sending screenshots of their glucose monitors showing 18 to be believed that they aren’t well. It sometimes feels like there’s less trust because diabetes isn’t as visible and that’s not fair.”

What’s next?

Vicky plans to keep running her group and hopes that this will inspire people to create more spaces for that support locally too and hopefully keep attracting some of the top names in diabetes care to speak to their group. They’ve recently had both Professor Partha Kar, National Specialty Advisor for Diabetes at NHS England and the West Yorkshire & Humber ICS Diabetes Clinical Lead, Dr Waqas Tahir, speak at different meetings and they’ve offered a huge amount of support and confidence to the group.

“I’d love to have more groups there to support people and have that ripple effect move out to more districts and other communities so more people working in the police force are able to get those shared benefits we’ve seen in our group so far.”

If Vicky’s story has inspired you to get involved, take a look at our latest volunteering opportunities. 

You can also find out more about the West Yorkshire Police Diabetes UK support group Vicky runs for serving colleagues. 

Discover more about how stigma affects people living with diabetes through our Diabetes Discussions: stigma podcast.

Sophia (pictured above, sixth from left) and Syed (pictured above, second from left) are Community Champions with Diabetes Scotland.

They attend monthly ‘Pitch to Plate’ events which provide a hot meal to refugees, asylum seekers, homeless people and those living in deprivation in the community. The events are organised by the Scottish Ahlul Bayt Society (SABS) in conjunction with Hibernian FC Community Foundation in Edinburgh.

Sophia began her volunteering journey with Diabetes Scotland in 2021 as a Peer Support Facilitator for a women's group.

Although there is a history of diabetes in her family, Sophia was initially hesitant due to not having diabetes herself and therefore wondered if she was the right person for the role. However, she realised the importance of being a support contact within her community. She said:

"I thought it was really important for me to be a contact of support and be someone people can go to for any questions that they might have."

At first, she faced challenges in engaging the community, particularly older members who preferred face-to-face interactions over online meetings. Sophia adapted her approach and is now a Community Champion, signposting people to resources and support.

Syed’s volunteering has focused on men's health and fitness, recognising barriers such as men's reluctance to prioritise health. He also highlights the importance of women in spreading health awareness within families. He said:

"Women are still the matriarchs often when it comes to cooking and feeding their families, and through sisters, mothers, wives, sisters-in-law, aunties and nieces, we can get the message heard."

Syed was motivated by personal losses due to diabetes in his family. Having sadly lost his mother, father, and sister to the condition, Syed turned his grief into positive action. He says, "Grief can take you so far, but being able to make changes for the greater good is what we do as a faith." Syed wants to help people to find out their risk of diabetes early so they can get the help and support they need.

Pitch to Plate initiative

One of the key initiatives Sophia and Syed have been involved in is ‘Pitch to Plate’, a community event attracting up to a hundred people each month. Sophia and Syed hold a diabetes awareness stand on the first Tuesday of each month.

These events have been successful in reaching people who might not have known about Diabetes Scotland and starting up conversations about health. For example, in the lead up to Ramadan, Sophia and Syed have been able to share resources about Ramadan and diabetes. Syed says:

"The whole purpose of the event is to provide food to nourish people who are from disadvantaged backgrounds and, if they want to approach us, they can do so on their way out or when queuing for the food."

They both recognise how receiving and sharing food brings people from cultures and communities together and the important role it plays in making connections and starting conversations.

Working as a team and standout moments

Sophia and Syed are quick to acknowledge the importance of working closely with the Scottish Ahlul Bayt Society (SABS) and Diabetes Scotland. They also recognise what each of them brings to the team and how they help and support each other.

For Syed, a highlight has been using the training he received from Diabetes Scotland. Whether it’s people going to their doctor after hearing about the symptoms of diabetes, or going to get their feet checked by a podiatrist.

For Sophia, it’s about the connections she’s been able to make and conversations she’s had which has got the knowledge out there.

"You can create so many new connections and get that conversation started. These connections lead to more opportunities for spreading awareness and providing support, helping to tackle inequality by ensuring everyone has access to the information and resources they need.”

Future plans

Looking ahead, Sophia and Syed have exciting plans to expand what they are doing in the community. They want to create more connections within the Muslim community and are planning an awareness raising event in Edinburgh in April.

They also hope to continue making connections through Pitch to Plate and Syed would like to use his experience and knowledge in exercise and sport to help to set up fitness and wellbeing groups for men and women.

Advice for future volunteers

"Just try and get involved as much as you can because you don't know where these different opportunities could lead you”, Sophia advises.

She also suggests potential volunteers take time to think about their motivations and the impact they can have on their community.

Syed highlights how rewarding volunteering can be and the importance of humanity and community in driving positive change. He says:

"We can all make change happen, it's about humanity.”

If hearing from Sophia and Syed has inspired you to get involved, take a look at our latest volunteering opportunities.