Walkers Raise £24,000 For Diabetes UK

Main Category: Diabetes
Article Date: 13 Jun 2008 - 6:00 PDT

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Keen walkers helped raise a colossal £24,000 for Diabetes UK by taking part in the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha sponsored walks around the UK.

BAPS, the UN-affiliated Hindu charity, has selected Diabetes UK as its Charity of the Year for 2008.

Its annual 10 km walks took place at 14 locations around the country including London, Birmingham, Leicester, Nottingham and Coventry. More than 3,000 people took part in the walks in April.

Diabetes UK trustee Frank Moxon received the £24,000 cheque on behalf of the charity earlier this month at the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in London. He said: "Our mission at Diabetes UK is to improve the lives of people with the condition and work towards a future without diabetes."

Risk factors

There are 2.3 million people in the UK diagnosed with diabetes and more than 500,000 with Type 2 diabetes who do not even know it. Diabetes is a serious condition and can lead to complications such as heart disease, strokes, kidney damage, blindness and amputation.

People of South Asian origin have a higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and are likely to develop the condition and its complications at a younger age than the rest of the population.

Other risk factors include being aged over 40, or 25 for people of Black and South Asian origin, being overweight or having a large waist, or having a family history of Type 2 diabetes.

A big thank you

"I would like to thank everyone who took part in the BAPS walks across the country," said Douglas Smallwood, Chief Executive of Diabetes UK.

"Diabetes is one of the biggest health threats facing the UK today. By taking part in this walk, people not only helped raise vital funds for research projects but also helped Diabetes UK highlight how serious the condition is."

Diabetes UK