All posts by Secretary

About Secretary

Mike currently fills the roles of Group Secretary.

Ribston Hall School for Girls Talk

For the third year we were asked by Denise Stoner from Ribston Hall School for Girls in Gloucester to see if anyone from the Group would be willing to talk again about their diabetes experiences to the first year 6th Form students as part of their Health and Wellbeing A level.

Part of the course work requires the students to understand several serious long term conditions and how they affects not only  the lives of those with the condition but also their and their family & friends. Diabetes is one of the conditions they have to look at and as well as finding out about the medical facts,  they have to understand how it affects the individual and those close to them every day. Continue reading Ribston Hall School for Girls Talk

Oct 16 Mtg – Emily Payne – Gloucestershire Podiatry Services

For our October meeting we had Emily Payne from Gloucestershire Podiatry Services give us a talk on looking after our feet and the issues that can arise if we do not!

Emily explains about the correct shoes to wear.
Emily explains about the correct shoes to wear.

She covered the basics of foot care, the most important being regularly, if not daily, checking your feet for any signs of damage.  Emily also explained what should happen at your annual foot check,  amazingly she said that there are still reports of foot checks being carried out without  shoes & socks removed, they must have x-ray vision! Continue reading Oct 16 Mtg – Emily Payne – Gloucestershire Podiatry Services

Chatterbox Lunch Club – Diabetes Talk

The Group was asked by Sue Gyles organiser of the Chatterbox Lunch Club, from the C3 Church based in The Pavilion, Cheltenham, if someone from the Group would be available to give a talk about diabetes.

The Pavilion
The Pavilion

Mike Broome volunteered and went along on Wed 7 Sep 16 to give a short presentation which explained what diabetes is, the risk factors, symptoms and a broad outline of how it is treated.  He also covered what hypos are and how to deal with them and the support the Group and Diabetes UK can give to those with diabetes and their friends and families. Continue reading Chatterbox Lunch Club – Diabetes Talk

Glos CCG Diabetes Type 2 Workshop

On Thursday 1 Sep John Gould, a group member and Mike Broome were invited to take part in an Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group Diabetes Type 2 Workshop at the Star College Ullenwood, near Gloucester as representing the patient view.  Also present was Mel Preston Chair of the Forest of Dean Support Group.  The remaining delegates were healthcare professionals ranging from senior diabetes consultants, GPs, DSNs, podiatrists, diabetes researchers, dieticians, managers from the CCG & NHS trust and others with a professional interest in diabetes. Continue reading Glos CCG Diabetes Type 2 Workshop

August 2016 Meeting – Laura Pearsall & Gordon Taylor – Local City Councillors

For our August meeting we were fortunate to have Laura Pearsall and Gordon Taylor, who are both city councillors for the Abbeymead ward in Gloucester come and give a talk on what it like to be a councillor and what it involves.

Laura & Gordon with an attentive audiance.
Laura & Gordon with an attentive audience.

After letting is know what got them interested in politics, for Laura it was as a result of getting an apprenticeship in the cities MPs office and for Gordon as a result of meeting an existing councillor at a job interview.  Their general council duties consist of meeting their constituents and  helping with any issues they have, attending council meetings and discussions with council officers.  They also sit on various committees, Gordon is Chair of the city Planning Committee and Laura is a member of the Licensing Committee. Continue reading August 2016 Meeting – Laura Pearsall & Gordon Taylor – Local City Councillors

June 2016 Meeting – Henry Tellwright – Diabetes Dietician, Gloucester Royal Hospital.

For our June meeting we had Henry Tellwright, a Diabetes Dietician at Gloucester Royal Hospital come along to talk about what is best for us all to eat, which of course is not necessarily what we want to!

Henry was also assisted by two student dieticians, Hannah Bennett and Daniel Lyons.  The talked covered how the body deals with food when eaten and the effects of too much sugar and fats for those with diabetes.  They also discussed the basics of healthy eating and how in reality this applied to everyone, not just those with diabetes.

There was also a lively debate on the relevant merits of different diets, in particular a low carbohydrate diet, whilst these have been shown to work, the long term effects are not fully understood at present, with more research looking into this.  This is not to say people should not use such diets, but its advised that they discuss it with their medical care team first.

Overall it was an interesting and informative evening.

Healthy Living Display – Waitrose – Cheltenham

The Group was invited to set up a stand in Waitrose supermarket in Cheltenham as part of their Healthy Living Week.  Mike Broome and Graham Terret duly attended on Friday 20 May and were asked to set up  by the entrance to the shop cafe – perhaps to give customers pause for thought on what they might eat!!

We were also joined by a representative from the British Heart Foundation.  The day was fairly busy with quite a few people stopping to enquire about diabetes and how best to avoid it or how they are controlling their diabetes.  There was also quite a number on time we referred people to the British Heart Foundation or vice versa.

Also whilst we were there we were presented with a cheque for £242.00 as a result of us being selected as one of the local charities selected by the store to be part of their Community Matters Collection scheme earlier in the year.  A big thank you to Waitrose for choosing us and to its customers for raising such a sum.

Graham receives the cheque from Lorraine Hambling
Graham receives the cheque from Lorraine Hambling

All in all the day was a success with not only raising awareness of diabetes but also the Group as well.

Diabetes Talk – St James Church (Tredworth) Senior Citizens Club

The Group was contacted by Hazel Croly from the St James Church (Tredworth) Senior Citizens Club, to ask if someone from the Group would be available to give a talk about diabetes.

Mike Broome volunteered and went along on Tue 19 April to give a short presentation covering what diabetes is, the risk factors, symptoms and what hypos are and how to deal with them.  He also explained the truth or not of  some of the common myths and misconceptions about diabetes.  The most common being that those with diabetes cannot eat sugar, which we all know is not true (but of course it must be controlled!)

The talk appeared to be well received with many of those present saying it had improved their understanding of diabetes.

Mike would like to  thank the St James Senior Citizens Club for their much appreciated  donation to the Group.

 

April 2016 Meeting – Natasha Scott – Diabetes Footcare Project & Mike Broome – Photo Quiz

Unfortunately the three local councillors who were due to speak at our April meeting were unable to attend due to unforeseen circumstances, although we hope to have then come along later in the year.  However we did have two speakers, first Natasha Scott for Gloucestershire NHS Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and then myself with a Photo Quiz.

Natasha came along to talk about a new Diabetes Footcare Project the CCG are setting up.  The aim of the project is to ensure patients requiring footcare are referred to the right people at the right time.  It will help supporting GPs and their patients in managing potential footcare complications early on, thereby improving their quality of life and hopefully prevent symptoms getting worse and equally further clinical intervention. Continue reading April 2016 Meeting – Natasha Scott – Diabetes Footcare Project & Mike Broome – Photo Quiz