THE charity walk-a-thon being held along a picturesque part of the Beachport foreshore on Saturday morning is expected to attract participants from across the region.
The Juvenile Diabetes Resarch Foundation’s One Walk will start at Beachport’s Surf Beach with registration and check-in from 8.30am.
The actual One Walk will start an hour later and will extend 1.9km along the esplanade walking track toward the Waterfront Café at the Jetty.
The walkers will then return to the Surf Beach where the Beachport Surf Life Saving will stage various beach activities.
Organisers anticipate 100 people will be walking which comprise those living with type 1 diabetes, their families and supporters. Those registered have already raised over $3000.
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation chief executive Mike Wilson 20,000 Australians participated in One Walks around the country last year, raising more than $1m for type 1 diabetes research.
“The funds raised at Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s One Walk are vital to our continued funding for critical type 1 diabetes research,” Mr Wilson said.
“A life-long autoimmune disease, type 1 diabetes usually occurs in childhood but can be diagnosed at any age.
“More than 120,000 Australians have this disease and there are more than seven new diagnoses each day.”
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which a person’s pancreas loses the ability to produce insulin, a hormone which turns food into energy.
The disease strikes both children and adults and individuals who are diagnosed require constant blood glucose testing through painful finger pricks and a constant supply of insulin by injection or pump in order to stay alive.
It will be the second time Beachport has hosted a fundraiser for the foundation, with more than 120 people walking from Centennial Park to the Surf Beach and raising more than $6000.
