Founder of Deeside based Redrow donates £5m to support young people with type 1 diabetes

A life-changing programme for young people with type 1 diabetes has been launched following a £5m donation from the founder of Deeside-based Redrow, Steve Morgan.

‘Our Lives, Our Choices, Our Voices’ is a partnership with Diabetes UK and the Steve Morgan Foundation, it will target young people aged between 11-25 as they transition into adulthood.

Around a fifth of the 300,000 people in the UK with type 1 diabetes are aged 25 and under, with many feeling the condition is holding them back and adding to their isolation.

Our Lives, Our Choices, Our Voices will support young people with type 1 diabetes and their families by increasing knowledge and confidence on how to best manage type 1 diabetes – resulting in better health and wellbeing.

The programme will also look to help reduce feelings of isolation and loneliness by developing strong peer support networks.

It will also improve relationships with healthcare professionals (HCPs) by empowering children and young people to communicate effectively with HCPs resulting in better treatment, care, and transition to adult services.

Philanthropist Steve Morgan, and his wife Sally, have personal experience as Sally’s son Hugo was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of seven.

Steve and Sally Morgan said: “It’s something we carry with us every day but we also know that young people across the UK don’t have easy access to the support they need to navigate the highs and lows of life with this condition.

“It is so important for young people and their families to have a safe space where they can share their experiences of this relentless condition, helping to feel a little less alone on bad days, and to celebrate the successes of the good ones.

“Our Lives, Our Choices, Our Voices will connect thousands of children and young people across the UK, providing a community that will help them feel less isolated because of their condition.

“We’re proud to be partnering with Diabetes UK to deliver something special which we hope will genuinely change the lives of thousands of young people with type 1 diabetes across the UK for the better.”

The latest funding is in addition to a £50m partnership between Diabetes UK, the Steve Morgan Foundation (SMF) and JDRF UK which was announced earlier this year. The Type 1 Diabetes Grand Challenge aims to drive forward type 1 diabetes research, and paving the way for the development of new treatments and a cure.

Chris Askew OBE, Chief Executive Officer at Diabetes UK, said: “Growing up can be tough, but thousands across the UK also have to manage a serious and relentless condition – often without meeting or sharing their experiences with other young people like them. It’s time to change this.