Crawley volunteers sought to educate people about Type 2 Diabetes

Volunteers in the Crawley area are being sought by Diabetes UK as part of its programme to help educate people about the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and what they can do to reduce it.
Volunteers wantedVolunteers wanted
Volunteers wanted

The charity will be holding a one-day ‘Know Your Risk’ training session on Thursday February 28 at Crawley Library for people interested in signing up to become volunteers.

There are over 450,000 people across the South-East diagnosed with diabetes, and about 90 per cent of those have Type 2.

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They might get Type 2 diabetes because of their family history, age and ethnic background puts them at increased risk.

They are also more likely to get Type 2 diabetes if they are overweight.

It is serious and can lead to complications such as sight loss, amputation, kidney failure and stroke.

Type 2 diabetes can come on slowly, usually over the age of 40.

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The signs may not be obvious, or there may be no signs at all, therefore it might be up to ten years before people find out they have it.

With 12.3 million people at risk of developing the condition, the charity wants to help people understand more about its causes and how it can be prevented or delayed.

Volunteers attending the Crawley session will be trained to talk to local people and encourage them to try the Know Your Risk tool, to find how likely they are to get Type 2 diabetes, so they can make changes.

Jill Steaton, Diabetes UK’s Regional Head for the South East, said: “We are keen to hear from people who want to make a difference in their local community and help us reach out to people at risk of Type 2 diabetes. These are rewarding roles which can really make a difference – it can help someone get diagnosed early before complications develop or encourage someone to make important lifestyle changes to reduce their risk of Type 2 diabetes.

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“With the right lifestyle changes, as many as three in five cases of Type 2 diabetes could be prevented or delayed by helping people understand their own risk of developing the condition. Please get in touch if you’re interested in joining our brilliant team of volunteers.”

The ‘Know Your Risk’ training event is free and takes place on Thursday February 28 from 10am to 5pm at: Crawley library, Southgate Avenue, Crawley, RH10 6HG.

Spaces are limited and must be pre-booked.

Call Mai Seida on 01372 720 148 or email [email protected] to sign up to the event.

To find out more about the ‘Know Your Risk’ online tool, visit: http://riskscore.diabetes.org.uk/start