I AM writing to thank your readers for supporting the Big Collection weekend at Tesco Extra, Stretford, on Chester Road, from October 4 to 6.

With the help of volunteers and the kind donations made by Tesco customers, we raised an incredible £476.51 in Stretford for Diabetes UK.

We were overwhelmed with the number of people, 7,000 across the UK, who volunteered to help us collect donations and raise a staggering £370,687 nationally and the money is still coming in.

If you were one of the enthusiastic volunteers who enjoyed the day, or saw how much fun people in fancy dress and blue wigs had collecting donations and you would like to get involved in other activities with Diabetes UK, we’d like to hear from you.

Whether you can spare an hour a month or a day a week, there are several ways you can get involved in our work. Some interesting opportunities include supporting people living with diabetes, raising awareness of the condition at various events across the North West, joining your local voluntary group or becoming a media volunteer and sharing your story.

People interested in volunteering for Diabetes UK, should visit: diabetes.org.uk/Get_involved/Volunteer/ or email n.westvolunteering@diabetes.org.uk or contact Jo or Jess on 01925 653 281.

The weekend was organised as part of a major national charity partnership between Diabetes UK and Tesco. The money raised will support the millions of people who have to live with diabetes every day; help hundreds of thousands of people take action to reduce their risk of Type 2 diabetes; and fund investment into ground-breaking research for a Type 1 vaccine.

Julie Byron, Diabetes UK North West Regional Manager