Where Diabetes Ireland spend the money you raise - Diabetes Ireland : Diabetes Ireland

Patient Care, Education and Support Services

Last year, Diabetes Ireland held over 290 health promotion, education and support events nationwide. More than 5,800 people contacted our Diabetes Helpline and 304,750 visitors accessed our website and social media platforms.

Over 10,000 people attended our flagship Diabetes Care Centre in Dublin for their diabetes care and we opened a second Care Centre in Cork. Read more about our Care Centre services here

This year, we need to maintain this level of activity as access to our dedicated diabetes services, up-to-date information and peer to peer support is vital for everyone affected by diabetes. Funds directed to these services will help ensure our services are available to everyone at their time of most need. More about our work.

Children and Family Services

On average, 23 children are newly diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes each month. This can cause huge distress and upheaval to the family. Each year, we hold a number of activities aimed at bringing together, in a fun and relaxed environment, children with diabetes and their families. This facilitates the sharing of information and the provision of support for families living with diabetes.

Activities include for the children, a weekend Diabetes Camp in Barretstown (held in May), Teen Activity Day (held in 4 Activity Centres nationwide each July and the Diabetes Junior Cup. We also hold a number of family events including Family Support Weekends , Christmas Parties and Summer Picnics bringing together children with diabetes and their families so they can make friends and support each other. Funds directed to these services will go towards covering the cost of these activities.

Type 1 Diabetes Research

Through our subsidiary charity, Diabetes Ireland Research Alliance, we promote, support and fund research related to the causes, prevention and cure of diabetes. We fund high quality diabetes research projects in Ireland and abroad. Internationally, Diabetes Ireland Research Alliance partners with Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), the leading charitable organisation in funding research into finding a cure for Type 1 diabetes.

In Ireland, we currently fund a diabetes project led by Professor Tim O’Brien in Galway University Hospital focusing on developing stem cell based therapy for the treatment of diabetes related complications. The goal would be to enhance bone quality for diabetes patients but also help people experiencing diabetes kidney disease, nerve damage, heart disease and vision loss. The cost of this 2 year project is €224,000.

Internationally, we currently support a JDRF funded project in the UK entitled Nano Versus Micro Encapsulation for Islet Transplantation. This research is led by Professor Peter Jones, Professor of Endocrine Biology, Kings College London. Transplants have been given successfully to a number of people with Type 1 diabetes but they have been only a temporary cure. The goal of this study is to develop a thin membrane to protect transplanted islet cells from the immune system, so they can once again produce insulin in response to changing glucose levels. Funds directed to Type 1 Diabetes Research is split equally between these 2 projects. For more information see here

Type 2 Diabetes Research

In Ireland, we currently fund a study being undertaken by Dr David Hevey in Trinity College which focuses on working with adolescents in low socio-economic areas to promote healthy behaviours through making changes to develop positive habits in relation to smoking cessation, alcohol consumption and physical activity that will reduce the risk of developing chronic illness, such as Type 2 Diabetes, in later life. Funds directed to Type 2 Diabetes Research will go to this study. For more information see https://www.diabetes.ie/research/what-is-research/dira/