A CUMNOCK charity has launched the first in a new series of diabetes awareness and understanding workshops.
The players in Kilmarnock FC’s youth team participated in the pilot version of the Lochlan's Legacy workshop on Monday November 14 – which is also World Diabetes Day.
And the workshops are due to have their wider launch, with the backing of the Scottish Football Association, in the next few weeks.
During the session, the boys were taught basic facts about diabetes, made aware of the signs of diabetes, and had their misconceptions about the condition challenged.
Lochlan Murdoch's mum Lesley, the charity's founder, said: “Their response was exactly what we needed it to be.
“They were quite shocked at the information, and they were quite shocked that they didn’t know a lot of the things surrounding type-1 diabetes.
“When we looked at misconceptions some of them thought that type-1 diabetes is caused by eating too much sugar so it’s about looking at some of these myths around type-1 diabetes and just giving a basic understanding of the condition.
They were really interested in the management of the condition and how it affects people.”
After the official launch, clubs interested in the free workshops can sign up for either an in-person or online session.
Workshops last around an hour and can be adapted as there is a version for teams who don’t have members with type-1 diabetes and a version for teams with players who do have type-1 diabetes.
Lesley added: “If a club comes back and says, ‘yes we do have a young person who lives with the condition’, we then as a charity set up a meeting with the health and wellbeing officer, the coaches, the parents, and the young person who lives with the condition.
“The young person fills in a player profile booklet and as part of that it’s really just giving everyone an opportunity to voice their needs and how best to support that young person.
“Young people living with diabetes don’t really get much of a voice and an opportunity to have one so it’s a pathway for that young person to be the best that they possibly can be.”
Now thirteen, football-loving Lochlan was diagnosed with type-1 diabetes when he was just four years old.
Lochlan’s Legacy was established in October 2020 by Lochlan, then aged 10, and his mum Lesley to help raise awareness of type-1 diabetes and support others with the condition.
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