Register now for 'Walk in the Park' at Hazelbank

This year the walk will take place at Hazelbank Park on Saturday, May 22 at 10am.

Walk in the Park is a fun event for the entire family with routes suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs and all walks are dog friendly. The walk itself is two miles and everyone who completes the route will receive a medal.

The annual event has grown in popularity since starting in 1999, and Diabetes UK Northern Ireland is hoping for great support to help beat last year’s fundraising total of 17,000.

Jennie McGivern, National Fundraising Manager for the charity said: “It is really important that we get as many people along to the walk as possible this year. It is a fantastic family day out to support such an important cause. Living a healthy lifestyle is important for good diabetes control and walking is a great way to become more active and help to prevent Type 2 diabetes. I would urge anyone who is available on the day to come and join us.”

To register for the walk and receive a sponsorship form, contact Carol Lucas on 9086 1718 or email [email protected]

Meanwhile, it is estimated that around 3,000 people in the Newtownabbey borough have diabetes, while across Northern Ireland there are 66,000 people diagnosed with the condition.

It is also estimated that there are thousands of people who have diabetes but do not yet know it as the symptoms are quite vague. Symptoms include increased thirst, passing urine frequently, extreme tiredness, weight loss and blurred vision. Anyone experiencing such symptoms should visit their GP as soon as they can.