Derry council buildings go blue for diabetes

World Diabetes Day takes place on Monday 14th November, raising awareness and encouraging everyone around the world to learn more about the condition. Diabetes is a lifelong condition that causes a person’s blood-sugar levels to become too high. There are two types, Type 1 and Type 2, which both involve regular medicine and lifestyle changes.

There are around 104,000 people living with diabetes in Northern Ireland, a growing figure of 3,000 per year due to our ageing and growing population, according to the Health and Social Care Board.

Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Cllr Sandra Duffy, said it was very important to acknowledge World Diabetes Day and encouraged everyone to get involved.

“I’m delighted to light up our Council buildings in blue to raise much-needed awareness on such an important topic, and show those living with diabetes in our city and district that they are not alone.

“I’d love to see everyone getting involved whether it’s wearing something blue on Monday, painting your nails or just talking to your friends and colleagues about diabetes and open up the discussion.

“It’s really important that people are aware of the early signs of diabetes in ourselves and in our loved ones. By detecting the early signs, you could really help medical emergencies and ultimately save lives. It’s also vital that people are aware of the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and it’s great to see high-street supermarkets getting involved with the initiative.” ​

The theme for this year’s World Diabetes Day focuses around three different elements:

1. Share the 4Ts of Type 1 Diabetes – Detecting early signs could help avoid a medical emergency and save lives.

2. Paint your nails to raise awareness – Diabetes UK have launched a #NailingDiabetes campaign encouraged people to paint their nails blue on November 14th to raise awareness and show others living with diabetes they’re not living alone.

3. Know your risk of type 2 diabetes – Together, with Tesco, Diabetes UK want as many people as possible to find out their risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

For more information on diabetes and World Diabetes Day, please visit www.diabetes.org.uk.