Once again I have taken on the seemingly impossible challenge of the marathon! 

This year I turn 40 and want to do lots of exciting things to mark the year. The marathon holds so many memories for me, good and bad, but mostly amazing ones, so much so, that doing it again will be a fabulous part of my celebrations! Last time I did it for my lovely grandad and this time I will do it for him again! 

Diabetes is an illness that can so easily be overlooked but the consequences can be devastating. As many of you know my grandad battled his diabetes for many years and dealt with many of the worst side effects. His circulation was rubbish, his sight deteriorated until he needed his glasses and a magnifying glass to read his paper. His kidneys completely gave up and he needed dialysis. Dialysis puts a massive strain on the body and he managed almost a year before the strain became too much.

All of these conditions can be avoided with early intervention and education of how to manage diabetes in the early stages. Diabetes UK work with both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, supporting people and researching treatments. Every penny will go to helping other families to not have to live through what we did.