Budleigh Lions diabetes screening day attracts a healthy turnout

Budleigh Salterton Lions Club organised their first screening day on 2 June - and the event identified three people who needed medical treatment.

The free screening took place at Budleigh Salterton Public Hall on the same day as the Treasure Hunt at the end of Gala Week. it was part of the Lions Clubs International Foundation's commitment to reduce the number of people developing diabetes and improve the lives of those living with the condition.

Thanks to a social media, local poster and word-of-mouth campaign, more than 150 people had their blood sugar levels tested in a quick, five-minute procedure. Of these, 96 had reserved places online prior to the day and 60 passers-by walked in get tested.

The testing was carried out by a medical team from the Event, Medical, Ambulance and Training Services Group (EMATS), who were also on hand to give advice.

Richard Allen from Budleigh Salterton Lions Club said: "Though most tests indicated normal sugar levels with nothing to worry about, three test subjects showed high blood sugar levels and were referred to their GPs, while one was so high urgent medical attention was recommended. None of these people previously knew that their blood sugar levels were in the danger zone, so the event could have made a big difference to their future health by identifying risk of diabetes."

Thomas Miner, Diabetes Officer for the Lions South West Region, said: “With nearly one million people in the UK unaware that have diabetes, initiatives like this are vital to give the maximum number of the people the chance to get checked in a quick, convenient way.

"The success of our screening day shows people want to get checked so they can make changes to prevent the condition from affecting their life – we hope to roll this event out across the South West in the future to get even more people tested and protect their health."