So why I am running the Great North Run for Diabetes UK? It is a cause I am really passionate about and one that is very personal to me. I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes when I was 19 with none of the risk factors and with no one in my family that was diabetic...I was told that I was just really unlucky. Being diabetic has not stopped me doing some amazing things but it is something that I will have for the rest of my life and something I have to work at managing every day. Diabetes UK is at the forefront of education and research and with a lot of mis-information on the internet is a beacon of good advice when people need it most. I have learnt a lot over the years about management of the condition and it has made me really passionate about food education as there are delicious foods that can really help manage blood sugar levels. The way we currently eat has to change with 1 in 4 children in the UK currently showing early signs of becoming diabetic. I really want to help tackle this trend.

In my life I know more people that are affected by diabetes than cancer. Close to me both my dad and my boyfriends dad became diabetic in later life, a friend developed type 1 diabetes (requiring insulin) in her late 20's and I have known 2 of my friends get gestational diabetes while pregnant. This demonstrates the many ways at which diabetes affects people of all stages of life. The more money going into research for understanding what triggers these changes, new ways of managing blood sugar for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes and food education will help to battle the rapid rise in this condition.

I will be running the Great North Run in 2015 for this fantastic cause in the running gear I am modelling in the photo... and in that head gear I should be easy to spot on T.V!

Thank you for taking the time to read this and I really appreciate any sponsorship for this great cause.

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