Primary school pupils have taken a leading role in raising awareness about diabetes.
Year six pupils at Oakley Junior School in Oakley Lane put on a play explaining the role of insulin and the effects diabetes has on sufferers.
The day was organised by national research charity the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) to mark World Diabetes Day, which took place on Monday.
And as part of the campaign, Basingstoke-based pharmaceuticals giant Lilly gave out free education packs to help teachers inform children about the disease in the classroom.
The school was chosen because of its high proportion of pupils who suffer from diabetes.
Two children in the junior school and two in the infants section suffer from the condition.
Katy Pickering, head of outreach at JDRF, said diabetes is a growing issue faced by schools.
She said data shows that the number of children aged under five with the disease has increased five-fold during the last 20 years.
“If you do not have a child in your school living with type 1 diabetes, you can expect one soon,” said Ms Pickering.
“It’s vital that schools are prepared and able to support children with the condition.”
And Oakley Junior School headteacher David Howe said he had seen an increase in the condition throughout his career.
He said: “The truth is diabetes type 1 is increasing. We have got two in each school whereas if you go back a number of years we did not have any.
“It is important to us that any child can carry on as normal and they can go on like everybody else.”
Type 1 diabetes is a life-long, potentially life-threatening condition that affects more than 26,000 children in the UK.
The diseases occurs when the body destroys insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.
Insulin is crucial for the body to regulate the amount of sugar in the blood.
Children living with type 1 diabetes require a daily dose of insulin injections and regular blood tests.
Mark Sudwell from Lilly said the education packs play an important role in highlighting the condition to teachers, parents, and youngsters.
He said: “Not all schools are as familiar with diabetes as we would hope.
“The teaching pack was put together with health professionals. It is about how to get information about diabetes into the school room.”
