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.

Roberta’s road to volunteering started when her son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2017. She joined her local support group and found what she describes as “amazing support for me as a parent and for my son.” Highlighting the group’s ability to remove the sense of being alone, Roberta said: “We attended one of their events where my son said, “look mum they have to do the same as me”. To hear him say this was amazing as he didn't feel he was alone.”

Unsurprisingly, many children experience challenges when they're diagnosed, and Roberta’s son was no exception. “We had a lot of difficulties surrounding needle phobia when he was diagnosed.” Roberta explained: “This is what persuaded me to join the support group and volunteer.”

Fun activities for children and their families

Roberta and the group’s committee, consisting of other parents and carers of children with type 1 diabetes, try to arrange an activity every month so that children and their families can experience the benefits of their community spirit and, more importantly (especially for the children!) to have fun. At the same time, they learn that having type 1 diabetes doesn’t hold them back or prevent them from doing anything.

Roberta gave some examples of what the group has been up to so far this year: “Over the last few months, we have held activities such as pond dipping, climbing walls, Jungleland (a jungle-themed soft play centre), walks in the countryside and a family fun day. All these activities aim to connect families and children to feel supported and gain long term friendships.”

Reasons to be proud

Roberta is particularly proud of the connections she’s been able to make from her volunteering. “I am extremely proud of being able to grow and connect more people across Shropshire and Borders.” Explaining how this has been achieved, Roberta said: “This has been done through advertising, word of mouth, and collaborative working with Diabetes UK and the local paediatric team, all with the same aim of offering support in a fun and educational way.” She continued, “I feel my volunteering has benefitted other families to be able to share the difficulties and proud moments of living with diabetes.”

As for the future, Roberta is clear about what she wants to achieve:

"My future volunteering plans are to continue to grow the support group and to continue to reach out to families and children living with type 1 diabetes."

Volunteering can fit around you

Roberta has advice if you are considering volunteering: “My advice to anyone thinking about volunteering is that it does not mean you have to give lots of your time. If you have ambition to support others living with diabetes, then any amount of time is going to make a difference by being able to reach out and support them. It is an extremely rewarding position to volunteer for such a supportive charity like Diabetes UK.”

While the children in Roberta’s group all have type 1 diabetes, her group, like all those that support families, welcome children with type 2 and their families.

If you have been inspired by Roberta’s story, check out our Volunteering Opportunities.

Looking for support? You can also use our Local Support Group postcode finder to search for your nearest group.

Peter began volunteering at Diabetes UK in early 2024, supporting the work of the Northern Ireland team. For him, this felt like a natural progression and the next stage in his journey since his diagnosis with type 2 diabetes back in 2021. Peter was incredibly grateful for the encouragement and support he received from the South Eastern Trust and the remission peer support group, and he felt giving back something through volunteering would be quite fitting.

Peter reflected on how the staff within the Northern Ireland team discussed volunteering opportunities without any pressure. With his curiosity piqued, Peter stepped into the world of volunteering, enjoying interactions with others and seeing it as a great opportunity to help people.

Connection and inspiration

During his time so far as a volunteer, Peter noted how the people he has met along the way have been highly motivating – from healthcare professionals and the Diabetes UK Northern Ireland team, to members of the remission group and Live Well Hubs. Meeting others and hearing their stories is one of his key highlights – having that contact with like-minded people gave Peter the encouragement to give something back.

Peter thoroughly enjoys his interactions with the Northern Ireland team, inspired by their enthusiasm and professionalism. For him, his experience as a volunteer has given him a fresh focus, following nearly seven years of retirement. Peter says he’s particularly proud to have the opportunity to be part of something personal and helpful to others, as well as to his own health.

Volunteering highlights

So far in his volunteering journey, Peter has provided fantastic support to the Northern Ireland team, particularly by supporting the launches of the Belfast, Lisburn, and Mid Ulster Live Well Hubs. He feels a strong connection with others at the hubs, learning a great deal from their stories and hoping that sharing his experiences was also helpful for them to hear.

Earlier this year, Peter also had the opportunity to visit Stormont, Northern Ireland’s Parliament buildings, meeting the Health Minister on both occasions and sharing his diabetes remission story at the Live Well Hub celebration event in June. Speaking at this event was a particularly proud moment for Peter, where he felt his story offered first-hand experience of what may be achievable for others. He noted that if he could do it, many other people could do the same and that the encouragement he received from his family was invaluable throughout his journey.

"The Live Well Hubs, volunteer meetings, and just listening to people living with diabetes and hearing from the speakers at events gives me great encouragement to do more. The team aspect is something I really enjoy, and there is great support from everyone."

Plans for the future

Peter looks forward to continuing his support for Diabetes UK’s work in Northern Ireland, attending as many events as possible. As part of this, he hopes to develop his confidence to become a speaker volunteer where he’ll then be able to present to businesses and organisations throughout the region.

Peter hopes that sharing his story will help others realise that there are steps they can take, that support is available, and that remission may be possible for some people with type 2 diabetes depending on their circumstances. Peter encourages everyone to consider volunteering, no matter what stage of life they’re in.

If you feel inspired to volunteer, search our volunteer opportunities, talk to your local team, meet the people who are living with diabetes and listen to their stories. As Peter says, “put your intention into action and just go for it!”

You can also read Peter’s story where he shares his experiences of living with diabetes and putting his diabetes into remission.