“Thank-you Welshpool from the bottom of my heart”

A Guilsfield mother has praised Welshpool’s community spirit after raising over £4,000 on a memorable night to highlight a disease that has impacted her family following her son’s diagnosis.

Nine-year-old Callum Harris was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in January, after his mum and dad, Holli and Allan, noticed he was drinking and weeing a lot more than usual.

Her motherly instinct resulted in a dramatic 24 hours after a doctor’s check-up was followed by a blue light emergency trip to Telford hospital.

The family wanted to make fellow parents aware and organised a charity bingo night on Friday that turned into a packed house of support at the Town Hall!

“It was an amazing night with around 200 people turning up from all over the place,” said Holli.

“We have raised around £4,133 so far with donations still coming in. Thank-you so much to all the business and people for all the donations. Everyone has been so kind. Thank-you from the bottom of my heart.”

The money raised will go to Diabetes UK and Children’s T1 Diabetes Family Group, a local charity that organises days out and gatherings for children with type 1 in and around the Shropshire/Powys borders.

To read our original story, please click here. 

What is type 1 diabetes?

Type 1 diabetes means Callum’s blood sugar is too high because the body can’t make a hormone called insulin.

Fewer than one in 10 people in the UK who have diabetes have type 1 diabetes and there is nothing you can do to prevent yourself or others developing it.

Although it’s often diagnosed in childhood, people can develop type 1 diabetes at any age in life.