Very sadly Irene Gibbins passed away on 23 August 2025 aged 92. She was the dearly loved wife of the late Ted, mother of Julian & Simon, mother-in-law of Sara & Emma, and nana of Ellie, Ed, Thomas & Lotty. We have set up this page in memory of Irene to raise funds for the Breakthrough T1D formerly Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, a charity who funds research seeking a cure for type 1 diabetes research.

This charity was very close to Irene’s heart because in January 2015, at the age of 13 her grandson Ed was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. This came as a huge shock to the whole family, as Ed was very fit and we previously had no knowledge or connection to diabetes.

For those of you that might be unaware, Type 1 diabetes, which is also called juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, is a disorder of the body's immune system because it attacks and destroys certain cells in the pancreas, which produce insulin. When the insulin-producing cells are destroyed, no insulin can be produced, and therefore the glucose stays in the blood instead, where it can cause serious damage to all the organ systems of the body.

There is currently no cure for type 1 diabetes, and no way to replace these destroyed cells, making the person reliant on lifelong insulin injections.

By donating to Breakthrough T1D, you are helping develop type 1 diabetes research so the cure will be found and those who suffered will be able to return to a normal daily life, free of injections, that isprivileged by so many of us. If you would like to find out more about what BreakthroughT1D stands for and their research, please follow this link https://breakthrought1d.org.uk/about-breakthrough-t1d-uk-and-our-impact/

Thank you for taking the time to visit this JustGiving page.

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.