A tennis coach who lives with type 1 diabetes has swapped his racket for a rowing machine in a tough challenge to raise vital funds for Diabetes UK.
Josh Golding (pictured), 28, decided to take on the challenge as a thank you and to boost funds for research.
The professional athlete, who coaches at Kettering Tennis Club, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was eight years old.
Josh said: “I remember being diagnosed at a time when sweets were everything! So having to make sure I watched what I was eating was tough. But l learnt to manage that with support over time.
“My tennis career has had ups and downs, but it has taught me to be resilient and find ways to manage situations I find myself in. That is the reason I wanted to set a rowing challenge as it’s something I am not particularly accustomed to and a good challenge to overcome.
“I wanted to show anyone who has diabetes that you can use your condition as your motivation to improve in your career, life or relationships. I suggest using this as the ’fuel to your fire’”.
“You’ll be amazed at what you can achieve with this attitude.”
Charlotte Wright, East Midlands fundraiser at Diabetes UK said: "Last year we saw demand for our services reach record levels, while our own funding was significantly impacted. This year is still going to be very challenging and, more so than ever, people with diabetes need us, but we need your support to be able to continue fighting their corner.
“We want to thank Josh. Without the help of generous supporters like him, we simply would not be able to offer support to the thousands of people with diabetes contacting our helpline, to campaign to keep people with diabetes safe in the workplace, or to invest in vital research – taking us a step closer to our vision of a world where diabetes can do no harm.”
You can sponsor Josh on his JustGiving page.
