Article Date: 19 Oct 2009 - 7:00 PDT

Diabetes UK today launches Get Serious - a UK-wide campaign that aims to get as many people as possible to sign up and show their commitment to Get Serious about diabetes.

The charity is also asking supporters to pledge to do something for diabetes. This could be making healthy lifestyle changes, organising a fundraising event, campaigning, volunteering or writing to MPs - it all helps raise the profile of the seriousness of diabetes.

Supporters of Get Serious

The campaign is being supported by the entertainer Christopher Biggins, who has Type 2 diabetes. Other celebrity supporters of the campaign include Sir Steve Redgrave, Dominic Littlewood, Cheryl Fergison, Steve Dixon, Eamonn Holmes, Amy Lamé, Phillip Schofield and Paul O'Neill.

Join our campaign - Get Serious

"Because half a million people in the UK have Type 2 diabetes and don't even know it; because three people die from diabetes-related complications every hour; because one person is diagnosed with diabetes every three minutes; because of all of this we are asking people to join in our campaign and get serious about diabetes," said Paul McDonald, Head of Media at Diabetes UK.

"We're coming together with a single message: sign up to show your commitment to Get Serious about diabetes. By signing up, you join a community that is fighting one of the UK's biggest health challenges. Each person who signs up to Get Serious brings us one step closer to making diabetes a priority for everyone."

Get Serious online

The charity is launching the Get Serious campaign through a dedicated Get Serious section of our website as well as across all of our online communities.

People will be able to monitor the campaign's progress, make pledges and upload photos and videos via the Diabetes UK pages on YouTube and Flickr. People can also follow the campaign through Twitter and a 'Twitter feed' on the Get Serious home page - http://www.diabetes.org.uk/GetSerious.

Donate your Facebook status

If you use Facebook we are asking you to donate your status to the Get Serious campaign. The social media site will then update your status three times over the following weeks with messages underlining the seriousness of diabetes to all your friends.

Sign up online or by mobile

Sign up to the campaign online or by texting SERIOUS to 84383.

(All texts will cost £1 plus network extras, minimum of 54p from every text will be donated to Diabetes UK, apart from texts from Virgin where we will receive 34p. By texting you are agreeing to receive future updates and marketing from this charity, unless you text STOP to 84383.)

Source
Diabetes UK