Crawley MP, Henry Smith, joined the annual diabetes charity event, the Silver Star Diabetes Health Challenge as part of Diwali.

As part of the challenge, Henry was issued with a Silver Star Diabetes Pedometer that will measure the amount of steps taken on a chosen day from the launch day until World Diabetes Day on 14th November 2013.

Every four minutes someone in the United Kingdom is diagnosed with diabetes and consequently, the NHS spends £1 million an hour on diabetes and its related complications. Currently three million people in the UK live with the condition, and an estimated one million people may have diabetes without knowing it.

Henry said:

“More and more local residents are suffering from diabetes, so it’s great that Silver Star Diabetes take action to raise awareness for the condition. Helping people to lead healthy lifestyles is important, and testing people for diabetes plays a vital step towards achieving that.

“Silver Star Diabetes has tested over 37,000 people for diabetes and continues to reach out to communities to raise awareness for the condition. Being tested is important to ensure that the condition is spotted early and people can get the right treatment as soon as possible.”

Henry was joined at the annual diabetes charity event, as pictured, by special guests Hari Dhillon, Dr. Michael Spence on BBC’s Holby City and Vineeta Rishi, Dr Jas Khella on BBC’s daytime drama Doctors.