• 18 February 2015
• General

Welcome to Issue 13 of Involve - your quarterly volunteering newsletter from Diabetes UK. Read on to find out how you can get involved in our new partnership with Tesco and British Heart Foundation, how you can help shape the Diabetes UK volunteering experience and read about Diabetes UK volunteer Fred Holland’s International Diabetes Federation award.              

Volunteers are a core part of Diabetes UK and without you many of our services could not run.  In 2014 over 7,000 people gave their time to support us, and 2251 people volunteered with us for the first time. Taking forward volunteering at Diabetes UK remains one of our strategic projects and in 2014 we have been putting in place measures to grow the number of Local Support Groups and improve the amount of support and resources available to people running them. Over the year new volunteers helped us open  43 new groups enabling us to reach more local communities and make a bigger impact for people living with Diabetes. Thank you.

This newsletter has been created for you, our volunteers. Please let us know if there is anything you would like to include in the next edition of Involve by emailing volunteering@diabetes.org.uk. 

Tesco, Diabetes UK and British Heart Foundation working together to improve the nation’s health

On January 5 2015 we officially launched a ground-breaking new partnership with Tesco and British Heart Foundation. Over the next three years we’ll be working together to raise £30 million to help people reduce their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and in doing so, give people across the UK a greater chance of a healthier and longer life.

One of the things we will do together is two Big Collections, the first of which will be led by British Heart Foundation volunteers on 13 - 14 February. Our own main focus will then be the Diabetes UK led Big Collection on 13 - 14 June which we will need your help on. Please help us make our June Big Collection the best one yet. If you would like to lead a team of volunteers of just take part in the June Big collection please email bigcollection@diabetes.org.uk.

To find out more about our partnership go to www.tescocharitypartnership.org.uk

Please complete our Volunteer Survey

As a volunteer you are a key part of Diabetes UK. In 2014 more than 7000 people have given their time to help us.  Our Annual Volunteer Survey is a really important way in which we can gather people’s views on what it is like to volunteer with us. Your feedback will help to influence how we focus our resources and what we do to shape the volunteer experience at Diabetes UK. 

A profile on Fred Holland: Diabetes UK Volunteer and Local Hero

On 17th December 2014, Diabetes UK volunteer, Fred Holland, was presented with an International Diabetes Federation Award to recognise his outstanding volunteering achievements over the past 44 years. His volunteering service has been wide-ranging from setting up a local support group, to raising more than £140,000 and campaigning for better local care.  He was instrumental in the establishment of Kidderminster’s first Diabetes Centre, which was named after him in 2013.

Fred was the first person in the UK to win an IDF award. Roy Bustin, Volunteer Development Support Officer here at Diabetes UK said:

“Fred is an excellent example of what can be achieved with a bit of passion and determination. His caring nature shines through in all that he does… he inspires me to come to work every day, and proves that together we can make a difference to people affected by diabetes”