Gretna Green Girl Raises £7,000 for type 1 diabetes charity

A 16-year-old girl who has lived with type 1 diabetes since she was six years old has raised £7,000 for charity.

Chloe Grierson from Gretna Green, took part in a sponsored walk and cycle day with her family to raise money for JDRF.

Supporters joined Chloe, her mum Kerry, sister Danielle and dad, John, in the walk and cycle. There was a three and seven mile walk, and a 15 or 50 miles cycle which took place on circular routes starting and finishing at the Old Blacksmiths Shop in Gretna Green.

Chloe said: “I am thrilled that we have managed to raise £7,000 for JDRF. As a family, we all want to find a cure, something the charity puts money into research for.

“The walk and cycle was great fun and it was lovely to see all my family and friends out in support of helping us find a cure.

“We’ve been fundraising for the charity since I was diagnosed when I was six so to still have such support is massively appreciated.

“Hopefully we can continue to fundraise as it is my aim to try and find a cure for my condition that affects not only me and my family, but so many other people around the world.”

The family have now raised a total of £32,000 for the charity since Chloe was diagnosed a decade ago through coffee mornings, bingo nights and sponsored walks.

Mum Kerry said: “I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone for getting involved in the sponsored walk and cycle, especially the Old Blacksmiths Shop which allowed us to host the event there for free. It means so much to us as a family to have this kind of support for our daughter.

“Chloe can’t control her condition so she has to manage it as best as she can. This is why we hold sponsored events like this to help fund the vital research needed to find a cure.

“The support we’ve received from the community, and further afield has also been amazing. Hopefully we can continue to see such fantastic levels of encouragement and get a step closer to helping Chloe, and thousands others, find a cure and lead a normal life.”

400,000 people in the UK live with type 1 diabetes – including over 29,000 in Scotland – and they rely on multiple insulin injections or pump infusions every day just to stay alive.