A TEAM from Warrington joined 7,000 others in costume for Liverpool’s annual Santa Dash.
The group from Warrington-based Diabetes UK North West raised about £1,000 for diabetes research.
Jo Cunnah, North West volunteer development officer, said: “It was so exciting to take part in the Santa Dash this year and the atmosphere was incredible, despite the bad weather. I couldn’t quite get over how many Santas there were!”
Regional fundraising manager Rachael Goodwin said the money raised will go towards funding vital research into the causes, complications and, “hopefully one day,” a cure for diabetes.
The charity says the number of people diagnosed with diabetes in the region has increased by nearly 16,000 to 329,904 in the past year. It also believes there are nearly 100,000 people in the area who are thought to have undiagnosed Type 2 diabetes, putting themselves at serious risk of devastating complications such as blindness, amputation, kidney failure, stroke and heart disease.
The main risk factors for developing Type 2 diabetes are being overweight or having a large waist, being over 40 (or over 25 in Black and South Asian people) and having a close relative with diabetes.
Symptoms include urinating more often and especially at night, increased thirst, extreme tiredness, unexplained weight loss, genital itching or regular episodes of thrush, slow healing of cuts and wounds and blurred vision.
Pictured: “Santas” (left to right) Craig Mcloughlin, Rachael Goodwin, Alison Boston, Sue Richardson, Maria Roberts, James Arthur, Jo Cunnah.
