The Mitchell’s Plain Lions Club hosted a Diabetes Walkathon, starting and ending at the Rehoboth Community Life Centre in Rocklands, on Saturday 9 November.
The walk started at 09:00 with 174 participants taking on the 3km and 5km routes.
Bevil Lakay, Mitchell’s Plain Lions Club chair, says the walk was arranged to commemorate World Diabetes Awareness Day observed annually on 14 November.
“Lions Club International has various pillars and one of the main focuses is diabetes,” says Lakay. “Diabetes is the second-biggest killer in South Africa, according to last year’s statistics. It is becoming quite a big thing but it is a controllable disease.”
The club does free blood pressure and blood glucose tests. The money raised from the walk will assist the club in continuing to offer the tests, free of charge.
The walk was preceded by a free Zumba warm-up session and was followed by testing at the centre.
The walk was well supported by local police and traffic services.
Participants received goodie bags and medals on completion of the walkathon.
