Two years ago, during a weekend visiting WWII airfields and museums in southeast England, I met my now good friend, Jane Williams, and learned of Hypo Hounds, a non-profit group she'd just started to help children and adults with Type 1 brittle diabetes, utilizing pet dogs with the potential to become diabetic alert dogs. 

From Jane's experiences with her daughter, Sophie, and her dog, Scooby, she learned that certain dogs have such sensitive noses that they can be trained to detect dangerous changes their owners’ blood sugars.

By alerting their owners or their families to these changes in blood sugars, diabetic alert dogs can prevent potentially life-threatening hypoglycaemic attacks. These are known as hypos and result from low blood sugar levels. [Diabetic alert dogs can also detect potential episodes of hyperglycaemia (known as hypers) when blood sugar levels are too high.] 

Two years on, this charity that began with one young girl and her dog has had life-changing impact on the daily existence of so many Type I brittle diabetics and their families. 

On September 15th, Buffon and I will step up into "Elizabeth", a two-seater Spitfire that flew over the D-Day beaches in the days after the Normandy invasion, and fly east towards the English channel, a route taken scores of times by such planes during the Battle of Britain in 1940. . 

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.