At the age of 18 our friend Helen was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Over the past 11 years Helen has lived with both the physical and psychological impacts of the disease. In May this year she suffered an extremely serious hypoglycaemic attack which left her severely brain damaged.

We all knew diabetes could be difficult. That it fills life full of needles, doctors appointments, things to remember and things to forget. That it takes away the everyday freedoms we take for granted and brings a future full of the unknown. But I don't think we ever contemplated that it could be this devastating.

We still get to see Helen's lovely face but we don't get to dance with her anymore, or hear her hilarious tales, or wonder at her wittiness and intelligence, or get her advice when we need some help. We really miss her.

We can't change what Helen and her family are experiencing. However, we can help to stop it from happening to others and we think it's really important that we try.

On 7 January 2015 Helen will turn 30. We thought it would be good to not just celebrate this day but to use it to fundraise, in honour of Helen, to help tackle diabetes. And we thought what better way to fundraise than to do something Helen loved to do, a mid-winter dip in the North Sea! So, on the 10 January 2015 we will be donning our togs and taking a dip in the freezing cold North Sea! 

We have chosen to raise money for Diabetes UK to support the fantastic work they are doing to find a cure. This world will quite simply be a better place without diabetes. Please help us help them and donate! 

If you know Helen and would like to get involved please join the team, get some sponsorship, get your togs on and get in the North Sea!

To find out more about the event please visit our Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/events/679437845496904/