Isle of Wight volunteers help raise awareness of Type 2 diabetes with roadshow bus
The people of the Isle of Wight are invited to find out their risk of getting Type 2 diabetes and get valuable information about how to reduce it. Isle of Wight Diabetes UK local group has donated funds to bring the Diabetes UK Know Your Risk roadshow to St Thomas Square, Newport on Friday 29 and Saturday 30 April 2016 from 10am – 4pm. In conjunction with the Know your risk roadshow, the Isle of Wight Diabetes UK group has also organised a series of talks and demonstrations which takes place over the same two days, called the ‘Betty Foss Awareness Days’. These free information sessions include professional guidance on eye and foot care, yoga exercise, cookery tips and general advice about managing the condition and takes place at the Riverside centre in Newport from 10am-4pm. Heather MacDougall, mum of two, from Ryde was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 1967 aged 5 and is one of the co-ordinators of the two-day event. She said: “The road show came about after discussions that diabetes isn’t really talked about and the understanding of the condition can be very limited or old-fashioned. People could be going about their daily lives not knowing that they may be living with the condition and developing its associated complications. So we thought a Diabetes UK Know Your Risk road show in the town, open to everyone with lots of advice and support would help to raise the awareness of getting checked about their likelihood of developing Type 2 diabetes.”
