A GP from Sefton joined Crosby parkrun to celebrate 100 years since the discovery of insulin and promote the benefits of a healthy lifestyle in preventing and managing diabetes.

This year marks 100 years since the discovery of a treatment that has saved millions of lives around the world – insulin.

Dr Nigel Taylor, diabetes lead for NHS South Sefton Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and NHS Southport and Formby CCG, joined colleagues to tackle the free 5k run, which is held at parks and open spaces across the country every Saturday morning at 9am.

Everyone is welcome to come along, whether you walk, jog, run, volunteer, or spectate.

Dr Taylor spoke to people at the event to promote the benefits of a healthy lifestyle in managing and preventing diabetes.

He said: “Parkrun is a great way to get people together to promote a healthy lifestyle.

“Being active and getting regular exercise can help maintain a healthy weight and significantly reduce your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes which is often linked with obesity.”

“The condition is often preventable and can develop because of an unhealthy lifestyle.  

“It can have a huge impact on everyday life; you have to change your diet, have regular check-ups and you may have to take medications or tablets. If you do not manage it well, you may develop serious complications.”

Yvonne Browne, improving care manager at Diabetes UK also took part in Saturday’s parkrun.

She added: “World Diabetes Day is a time for us to shine a spotlight on diabetes and raise awareness of the support and information that are available for people affected by the condition.

“It was great fun to come along to the Crosby parkrun today and even better to help raise awareness of diabetes. Events like this are a great way to introduce more physical activity into your life, especially if you have diabetes and are looking at ways to get moving more.”

People with diabetes can feel anxious when it comes to exercise because of uncertainties in how it might affect their management and blood glucose levels but there is plenty of support out there parkrun is a great way to introduce more physical exercise into your life.

You can find out your risk of Type 2 diabetes by using the Diabetes UK Know Your Risk Score at riskscore.diabetes.org.uk or by searching ‘Know Your Risk’.

If your score comes back as ‘at risk’, sign up to your free local Healthier You programme via self-referral.

Or, if you think you or a family member may be at risk, ask at your GP practice about your free local Healthier You programme.

For patients living with diabetes, the My Diabetes My Way interactive website gives support for people who have diabetes and their family and friends. Once registered you can have access to view your diabetes-related health records and tailored advice as well as information created by NHS experts in diabetes.

You can ask your GP practice about registering for access to this support service.

This World Diabetes Day, Diabetes UK is promoting a range of resources through its Diabetes.org.uk website to raise awareness and help those with diabetes manage their condition.

These include an online support forum to share experiences, as well as meal plans, diet advice and a free learning zone for simple and practical information.

Diabetes UK also has a team of highly trained advisors to provide specialist information and advice on all aspects of life with diabetes, whether you’re living with diabetes yourself, supporting a loved one, or worried about your risk.

Call on 0345 123 2399 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm) or email helpline@diabetes.org.uk for answers, support or just to talk to someone who knows about diabetes.

To sign up to your nearest parkrun please visit: www.parkrun.org.uk