Welcome to our latest newsletter, we hope that you have managed to take advantage of the freedoms that we now have following the release from the lockdown rules.  It has been a very strange eighteen months and we hope you have managed to find ways to cope, one of our members has written an article together with photos about the trials and tribulations of cycling throughout a pandemic which we hope you will enjoy.

The committee are still meeting by Zoom call but we are pleased to now be making plans to arrange for speakers to attend events and early notice of the first speaker can be found below.  This newsletter also contains details of an opportunity to join a Living with Type 2 Diabetes events being organised by DiABETES UK and their Guide to Eating Well.

We would love to hear from you on topics that you would like us to investigate and plan for the future. 

Diabetes UK

Living with Type 2 Diabetes?
 
DiABETES UK South East office are going to be hosting support sessions for those living with Type 2 diabetes over a 6 week period.  Some of our members have attended previous sessions and found them very helpful.  Details can be found on the following poster, please contact them direct to register your interest. 

 

Your guide to eating well with diabetes
 
Enjoying good food is often described as one of life’s simple pleasures. But when you have diabetes, it’s not always so simple - and it can be tricky to know what to reach for. That’s why DiABETES UK have revamped and updated their food guide, ‘Eating Well with Diabetes’. It’s packed with answers to your biggest food questions, including what a healthy diet looks like, easy food swaps, tasty recipes, myth busters and more! Download or order your copy for free by visiting the DiABETES UK online shop today.

Download the eating well guide

 

Local News

Local Diabetes Education
The North Hampshire Community Diabetes Team provided education sessions via Zoom earlier this year, they proved to be a great success which many of you attended and enjoyed.  Sherri Johnston, Diabetes Specialist Nurse, has been thinking ahead to the autumn and is interested to hear from anyone who has ideas or requests for education sessions which will again be on line.  Our support group can collate any requests that you may have, which can be emailed to us at diabetesuk.basingstokegroup@gmail.com
 

Hold the Date – We are going to arrange a live speaker
 
We are planning a special guest speaker on Wednesday 19^th January 2022 at 7:30pm at the Hatch Warren Community Centre, Long Cross Lane, Basingstoke RG22 4XF

Diabetes is Serious campaign
 
DiABETES UK have recently launched a new campaign ‘Diabetes is Serious’ to call on the Government to make diabetes care and prevention a top priority.   Our Chair wrote to our local MP Maria Miller to highlight the campaign and ask for her support.  Maria’s response is below -
 
Dear Mr Murray,

Thank you for contacting me about diabetes.

Diabetes is a leading cause of premature mortality, doubling an individual's risk of cardiovascular disease. With over 22,000 additional deaths each year, it costs over £10 billion every year to manage. 

While Type 1 diabetes cannot be prevented and is not linked to lifestyle, Type 2 diabetes is largely preventable through lifestyle changes. That is why I am delighted that prevention is at the heart of the NHS Long Term Plan (LTP), launched in 2019. One of the key commitments in the LTP is to double, to 200,000 people per year by 2024, the scale of the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme which supports those identified as high risk of type 2 diabetes to reduce their risk. 

Further, medical research has shown that some people with type 2 diabetes can achieve remission through adoption of low calorie diets: this is a non-invasive treatment allowing people with type 2 diabetes to tackle their diabetes as part of leading healthier lives. I warmly welcome the inclusion in the LTP of pioneering plans to test an NHS programme of low calorie diets for overweight people with type 2 diabetes.

To date NHS England has invested approximately £120 million of transformation funding into local services to target variation and improve performance in the treatment and care of people living with diabetes since 2017/18.  This is focused on improving attendance at structured education to increase understanding, improving achievement of NICE targets and reducing variation across the country, reducing amputations through improved provision of multidisciplinary footcare teams, improving timelines of referrals from primary care for patients with diabetic food disease, and reducing lengths of stay for diabetic inpatients through specialist nursing services. I look forward to reviewing updated data on the National Diabetes Treatment and Care Transformation Fund as soon as it is released.

I hope this reassures you about the commitment to tackling diabetes as well as supporting those living with it to lead healthier lives.

Thank you again for taking the time to contact me

With best wishes,

Rt Hon Maria Miller
MP for Basingstoke

One Million Step Challenge
Further to our article in the last newsletter, we have four members of our committee in the process of completing the One Million Step Challenge to raise funds for DiABETES UK which involves walking one million steps in three months (an average of 10,870 steps per day).  We therefore thought we should write an update on our achievements to date.
 
We are two thirds of the way through the challenge based on time but of course this does not have any reflection on the actual number of steps undertaken although we had all hit the halfway mark by 20^th August.  There is certainly a great difference between trying to complete the challenge when you are working full time and when you have retired and as Don said he has been able to try to avoid the showers.  The weather has certainly not been great during August and some walks have ended prematurely.
 
One of our team Nigel celebrated his 70^th birthday last month by Walking.  He is certainly leading the way for our group and has clocked up 911844 as at the end August.  Nigel has reported that his health has improved no end since taking on the challenge and it has now been 9 weeks since he has used any Insulin and is now tablet only. Not only that Nigel has lost 7 kilos and says the last time he was this weight was when he was in his twenties !!!
 
Clare has certainly earned the respect of the other team members because she has been undertaking the challenge whilst working full time.  Clare has also shared details and photos on the Million Steps site with some of the lovely walks she has taken through the villages of Pardown, Oakley, Dummer, Cliddesden, Farleigh Wallop, Deane, Steventon & Overton.  As all people with diabetes will know it is really important to take good care of your feet and Clare has been suffering from some foot injuries.  Clare says she has ordered some new walking shoes and fingers crossed they are roomy enough to walk in without putting pressure on toes.
  Don has been enjoying the challenge and says - “The challenge certainly makes you think a lot more about walking.  Whilst my largest amount of exercise remains playing golf and is unchanged by the challenge, I have done a lot more walking than I would have otherwise done, and this has definitely had a positive effect on my waistline. I am awaiting a Diabetic review and expecting positive feedback.
I set out with the intention of trying to make the 10,000 steps most days and  have probably managed at least that on about 5 days out of 7.  Playing golf at about 14,000 steps a time a couple of times a week gives a big boost to the total steps, and I often top 20,000 steps on a golf day which makes a big difference.  The weather has not been particularly favourable , first the intense heat then the showers. At least I can choose to walk when it suits me. I would not have got near the target if I was still working.  I have found it very beneficial to put my Fitbit on as soon as I get up as the background activity probably adds up to 2,000 steps a day which could be as much as 184,000 over the course of the challenge”
 
One of the most difficult things during this Challenge has been trying to get us all together to do a walk and take a team photo.  We still have one more month to go so hopefully we will manage to meet up.  Of course an important part of the Challenge is to try and raise funds for DiABETES UK and our total to date is £440 which is great.  Nigel experienced a great thing yesterday, a family gave him a donation when he met them whilst out walking for the second occasion. How nice is that!!!
 
We have set up a Just Giving page for Basingstoke Diabetes UK Support Group and we will appreciate any support you are able to give us.
 
https://step.diabetes.org.uk/teams/basingstoke-diabetes-uk-support-group

Coffee and Chat – Wednesday 6^th October 2021 at 11am



We are going to have another Coffee and Chat Zoom call in October on Wednesday 6^th October at 11am.  It will be great if you could join us and we would love to hear your ideas and views on what you would like the Basingstoke Diabetes UK Support Group to consider for future activities when we are able to meet in person once again.

You will need to have access to the Zoom app and details of joining the meeting can be found below –
 
Topic: Basingstoke Diabetes UK Support Group Coffee & Chat Zoom Meeting
Time: Oct 6, 2021 11:00 AM London
 
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/75136289824?pwd=L1VtUmlKem5xOHhPdnFGVmJPRG5Cdz09
 
Meeting ID: 751 3628 9824
Passcode: jm93FQ
 
 

Meditation and Mindfulness event - 

Members Personal Experience

Mark Straw Cotswold Cycle Tour June 2021

Biking in a Pandemic

If we go back to October 2019 the U3A Cycling Group started planning for our 2020 Summer Tour to the Black Forest.  Little did we know then the events to come in the following year.

Needless to say, the 2020 German Tour was postponed until 2021 and then this year postponed indefinitely.  An alternative plan was to embark on a mini–Cotswold Tour in June 2021.  This was to be a 3-day ride - Day 1 Oxford to Stratford upon Avon, Day 2 Stratford upon Avon to Gloucester and Day 3 Gloucester back to Oxford.

Planning an expedition like this is not easy but our group leader Alistair, ably assisted by Mick and David, did a great job with routes and possible hotels to stay.

For me with Type 1 Diabetes and Coeliac Disease there are additional considerations. I’m lucky to have the benefit of an Insulin Pump and a Continuous Glucose Meter however I have to plan for the “what ifs”, so spare medical kit which probably won’t be needed is always a weighty challenge to have to carry.
You have to remember that whatever you take – clothes, drinks, medical kit and Gluten free carbohydrate snacks – has to be carried on the bike.  I managed to pare it down to 9.5kgs but those members with electric bikes (not me) didn’t have to worry.

Drawing on my experience of our 7-day tour in Germany in June 2019, I had a pretty good idea about how much carbohydrate I needed to take, on a per hour basis when riding. Even at an average 11mph and carrying a lot of weight you burn up calories very quickly so with a start at 9.15am and finishing around 5pm that’s approximately 5-6 hours riding, allowing for lunch and coffee stops.

People’s carbohydrate needs will vary from person to person but for me I need 50g carbs per hour. This is made up of a huge breakfast, Gluten free fruit bars, Jelly babies and glucose drinks on the ride and Gluten free rolls for lunch.

Insulin wise I cut my basal levels to 20-30% of normal and at breakfast and lunch cut my normal Insulin intake by half.       

On this trip the balance wasn’t always correct.  I found that in the mornings my glucose levels would be too high, sometimes 10-12 whereas in the afternoon they would be better, 6-8 with the occasional 5.  Could be Glycogen levels had been used hence lower levels.

In the mornings I did have some small Insulin top ups. I did take protein shakes when I arrived at the hotel, designed to top up carbohydrate and glycogen levels.

THE TOUR. DAY 1. OXFORD TO STRATFORD UPON AVON    51 MILES, 630 METRES OF CLIMB

Enough of the Diabetes stuff, now to the holiday. Easy and fast trip to Oxford with 2 bikes on the back of the car. Start time was 10am, but we were a little late 10:05 due to confusing parking ticket machine.
The weather was dry and sunny but not too warm. After 17 miles we stopped for an ice-cream at Café de la Post in Chadlington.
 
 
 
We also needed to stop for some bike repairs for one team mate who broke his chain, fixed by a new chain (which he brought with him?) and a magic link.

Lunch was in a garden in a café in Moreton in the Marsh at the 30mile mark.
 

 
 Day 1 got me thinking, the villages and countryside was so beautiful why choose Germany!

Our route was not all on tarmac roads, with some miles on bridleways and farm tracks. This posed and early problem in that to enter the ‘off road’ section we had to get our bikes which were fully laden through metal kissing gates. Ok for walkers but near impossible for bikes. Only way was to put your bikes on a vertical plane and walk them through. By the end of day 3 I was an expert at this technique.
 


 
At Long Marston we turned onto Stratford Greenway, which was once a railway line. The 5 miles into Stratford upon Avon was all along this track which was a chalky and dusty. Thank goodness for a hot shower at the Premier Inn.   

Out later for a delicious meal at the Golden Bee pub and to end the day, a stroll around the streets to see Shakespeare’s Grammar School and the River Avon. One advantage of riding in a pandemic was that the streets were empty with very few tourists. Great for us but the shops and restaurants must be suffering.


THE TOUR. DAY 2. STRATFORD UPON AVON TO GLOUCESTER  
50 MILES, 315 METRES OF CLIMB

Up very early as my Dexcom CGM sensor had been playing up with no readings. On the fourth time I had no choice but to put a new one on. The ability to check your levels whilst riding is essential and it was lucky, I had brought a spare.

A fantastic breakfast in the Premier Inn restaurant with a very friendly Romanian waitress who made sure I got all the Gluten Free options I needed.

Today’s ride was harder, a combination of a much hotter day, less tarmac and more off-road tracks. After 15 miles we had one of only two stopping options – the pretty market town of Evesham where a lovely pint of cider was consumed.
   
 


Lunch was in Tewkesbury where I ate my G/F rolls which were beginning to disintegrate by now. Gluten free bread does not travel well! Need to think of a different option for tomorrow’s lunch.

Arrived in the early evening entering Gloucester along the River Severn. Another Premier Inn stay but we all ate out at the Cotes de Brasserie, a delicious meal with the food for me all Gluten Free guaranteed.

DAY 3. GLOUCESTER TO OXFORD             53 MILES, 720 METRES CLIMB



A slow start as breakfast was in a Beefeater. Only 2 staff on duty and for 14 of us and 8 others – not good enough!

Today was to be our most challenging day. Luckily the weather was cooler but I made the mistake of not offloading some of my luggage to Alistair who had brought his car to support the team on the last day.

The 11 miles to Cheltenham were pleasant but coming out of Cheltenham we attempted the infamous Ham Hill.  A mile long at 16%! I must admit I cycled the first third, walked the second third and cycled the rest. The electric bikes were all ok. I wish I had got rid of some of my luggage.

After that it was another 11 miles to Northleach, again going up some shorter steep hills, and then a lot of undulating countryside. Hard work!

Lunch today was made up of toasted G/F jam sandwiches saved from breakfast. A better option as they did not disintegrate.

We departed Northleach to face a very steep hill, another section of the Monarch’s Way. The Monarch’s Way is a 625-mile long-distance footpath in England that approximates the escape route taken by King Charles II (at the time he was Prince Charles) in 1651 after being defeated in the Battle of Worcester. It runs from Worcester via Bristol and Yeovil to Shoreham, West Sussex.

All of the route is waymarked, using a logo with a drawing of the ship, “The Surprise” (The ship Charles escaped to France) above a Prince of Wales 3-point feathered crown on a silhouette of the Royal Oak Tree (In which the King hid at Boscombe).

We continued up and down as the route gradually became flatter and made our way to Burford, known as the gateway to the Cotswolds on the River Windrush. It was extremely busy with traffic which held us up slightly before we turned off and headed for Witney.

We arrived in Witney, our last stop, at 3.30pm and 44 miles into our route.  We managed to find a pub, The Horse Shoes, where we partook of various beverages. It was warm but beginning to cloud over.



We left Witney heading for the Pear Tree Park and ride at Oxford.  As we left there were a few spots of rain which persisted all the way to Oxford where we arrived at about 5.00pm. The cars were all there to welcome us and we packed up. On the way back we had a lot of rain which thankfully we missed! Whilst riding.

All in all, a great trip with fine weather and a great group of friends to be with. UK again next year??