By Jack Gabriel
A local pensioner has helped to raise more than £500 for the charity Diabetes UK, following the loss of her husband.
Pauline Wain, 77, decided in lieu of flowers at her husband John’s funeral, she would ask guests to make a donation to the charity.
Mrs Wain said she made the decision because “Diabetes affects my grandson. He and his grandad were very close, and he would have wanted to help find a cure.”
Diabetes affects about 1 in 16 people in the UK, a figure that stands at about 3.9 million and one that it is expected to rise to more than 5 million by 2025.
The threat of rising diabetes diagnosis cases in the UK has forced charities, such as Diabetes UK, to seek further funding to help sufferers manage the disease, which requires frequent daily monitoring of blood sugar levels and multiple injections of insulin.
Jenni Young, the Area Fundraising Administrator for Diabetes UK, said: “Diabetes UK is the leading charity that cares for, connects with and campaigns on behalf of all people affected by and at risk of diabetes.”
Mrs Wain and her late husband JohnShe added: “Gifts like Mrs Wain’s help make our work possible and means people with diabetes can keep getting the information, advice and support they need.
“We can keep campaigning for better care, and our scientists can keep finding new ways to treat diabetes, prevent it and one day cure it.”
It is believed that scientists could be on the verge of introducing a tablet containing insulin, which would spare diabetics from injecting the regulating hormone into their body.
With donations to the charity growing, the prospect of a cure in the not-too-distant future is an increasingly realistic possibility.
To make an online donation to the charity, follow the instructions on the Diabetes UK website.
