Diabetes, a condition that can affect all age groups, is a complex metabolic disease that occurs because of an imbalance between the body's insulin requirement and its ability to produce this hormone.

Type 1 diabetes occurs when the pancreas cells that produce insulin have been destroyed; daily insulin injections are therefore essential to regulate how the body deals with glucose (sugar).

Type 2 diabetes on the other hand, can be treated with diet, exercise, tablets or insulin therapy, depending on response.

Whilst Type 1 diabetes results from factors beyond our control, the following factors are contributing to the increase in the Type 2 diabetes population: ageing
population, unhealthy diet, obesity, and inactive lifestyles. Effective management of both types of diabetes can increase life expectancy, improve quality of life and
reduce complications.

Stephanie Jane Marks
was born at St. Peter's Hospital in 1984 and died in June 2002. She was only 17.

Stephanie had been Type 1 insulin dependent for six years and sadly died as a result of complications. Friends and family describe her as vibrant, loving, caring, and positive. Above all this, she epitomised optimism; to Stephanie, diabetes was merely a stumbling block that she would easily overcome in pursuit of her dream of becoming a doctor.

The Stephanie Marks Appeal was launched in June 2003 by Ashford & St. Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust with the aim of raising the awareness of diabetes. The Appeal also looks to provide funding to create a specialist Centre, together with a series of 'satellite' clinics with the assistance of GPs who have a specialist interest in diabetes. The purpose is to provide first-class accessibility to diabetes care in a ground breaking 'hub and spoke' model of care.

"The Appeal seeks to provide a lasting memorial to our beloved Stephanie in her chosen profession. For us, her family, this in itself is a magnificent goal but it is so much more – like Steph herself, the Appeal seeks to make a difference to people's lives by establishing a new model of care for those who suffer from diabetes.
Since the Appeal started, we have been overwhelmed by the support of our community and the many companies and individuals who have raised so much money and awareness and we would like to offer our sincerest thanks to you all. As we enter the third year since her tragic, unexpected and untimely death, please help us all to build a part of Steph's dream and make it a reality – diabetes care of the future, today."

Sue and Chris Marks, Parents

“Stephanie Marks was only 17 when she died. My daughter is also in her teens and shares her life with diabetes. This Appeal not only aims to raise funds to develop a unique Centre, but also to raise awareness
of a condition that is often misunderstood, and that can lead to long-term medical problems if left undetected and not carefully managed. Please do
offer your support… diabetes could hit you for six!”

Ian Botham OBE, Patron

There are many ways in which you can help the Appeal

• Spread the word - tell ‘everyone’ you know about the appeal – others may also be able to help!

• Donate by post / in person - every pound received is greatly appreciated. UK taxpayers can also allow the Appeal to claim a further 28% on top of your donation under the Government's Gift Aid Scheme (simply click here to print off a gift aid form to send with your donation)

• Donate online - donate securely online at JustGiving.com using this link

• 'Give As You Earn' (GAYE) scheme - support the appeal through your company payroll or by setting up a monthly standing order direct to the Appeal

• £1 for life key-ring (£1.50) – to be used in super market trolleys and gym lockers nationally. Never again find yourself within a £1 coin!

• Donate a prize for one of our raffles / auctions

• Events - take part in one our forthcoming events. Visit our events page or contact the Fundraising Team to find out what’s coming up!

• Organise an event – whether it’s a sponsored walk, swim, or coffee morning, they all help support the Appeal. Visit our events page on our website for more ideas. Collect sponsorship online saving you time in collecting your sponsorship money!

• Re-cycle printer cartridges and mobile phones – drop off points are: The Fundraising Office at St Peter’s or Voluntary Services at Ashford

• Christmas Cards – all card designs are featured on our website within our Shop section

Donations

If you would like to make a donation, please send you cheque made payable to ”The Stephanie Marks Appeal” and send to the address below.

DON’T FORGET to print off a gift aid form or complete the gift aid form within our appeal leaflet.

The Stephanie Marks Appeal
Fundraising & Communications
Ashford & St Peter’s NHS Trust,
Guildford Road, Chertsey, Surrey KT16 0PZ

The Board of Ashford and St. Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust and the Trustees of the Stephanie Marks Diabetes Appeal unveiled the design for the new diabetes Resource Centre at a buffet lunch generously hosted by The Ship Hotel, Weybridge on Monday, 22nd October 2007.

The planned two storey, state-of-the-art Resource Centre will be located at the entrance to St. Peter's Hospital and will serve the Ashford & St. Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust catchment area. £150,000 is needed to bring the Appeal to a successful conclusion and achieve the goal of improving the quality of diabetes care for patients living in Surrey and West Middlesex!

A Great Start

Following our initial launch in June 2003, the Stephanie Marks Appeal has already helped raise the awareness of diabetes throughout the community, attracted local corporate support, and been successfully selected by the Mayor of Elmbridge as his charity for the year.
Our thanks to those who have supported our fundraising events, such as the Hollywood Night, Sir Steve Redgrave, Flag Relay, the Drifters Charity Concert and many more.
The growing need for a specialist diabetes Centre and the commitment by staff, patients and the community re-assures the Trust that the project is clearly on track. Momentum is continuing to build and over £120,000 (September '04) has already been donated from public support alone, with an anticipated £500,000 over the next two years. The remaining £2 million will need to be generated from corporate support, to enable the two-year build programme to commence.

Developing Partnerships

Establishing corporate partnerships, both within the business community and the pharmaceutical industry, is key to the success of the project. It is also essential at this early stage for us to identify how the pharmaceutical industry could benefit, giving them the opportunity to input into the structure of both the research and educational facilities to be available within the Centre.

We invite your participation which could take many forms. In return for your support, whether it be through sponsorship of the Centre, development of specific rooms, supporting the network of community clinics, input into the research facility (which could be used for pharmaceutical trials) or providing educational support or equipment, we guarantee strong visible recognition throughout the project and within the facilities created.

• It will be the first hospital/GP-based 'hub & spoke' diabetes service in the South East
• St. Peter's Hospital has allocated land to build a 1070 sq metre Resource Centre at the entrance to the St. Peter's site, on the current location of The Croft in front of Abbey Wing
• Location at the front entrance of the hospital grounds gives excellent opportunities for targeted publicity
• The project is high profile across a range of diverse communities
• The initiative will create an excellent clinical research dataset covering a population of over 450,000

The Stephanie Marks Appeal has strong community-based targets and sets an exciting precedent for the management of chronic disease. We are keen to work with Charitable Trusts whose aims and interests have strong ties to supporting community-based health and social care projects. Thus, this project offers a real opportunity to support a facility that will supervise the control of a disease anticipated to be a growing cause for concern.

The Stephanie Marks Appeal needs to raise £2.5 million, to build a dedicated Diabetes Resource Centre in the grounds of St Peter's Hospital and to provide care to match this growing demand. The model of care will provide a seamless structure linking Ashford & St Peter's Hospitals (the acute Trust) with GP practices – communication, education and, above all, partnerships are key elements to the success of this project.

As the number of people with diabetes grows, there will be an increasing need for efficient communication between hospital clinicians, specialists, GPs and patients. In parallel with the guidelines in the National Service Framework (NSF) for diabetes, the proposed Resource Centre, based at St. Peter's Hospital (Chertsey, Surrey), will serve as a focal point for patients, carers, staff and researchers. Not only will the Centre treat people with diabetes, but it will also house educational and research facilities, space for all diabetes staff, and create a drop-in meeting/social venue. In addition there will be a network of clinics providing GPs who have a special interest in diabetes with a focus for their healthcare delivery. The location of these clinics will evolve over the next six months following discussions with each of three Primary Care Trusts: North Surrey, Surrey Heath & Woking, and Hounslow (a substantial clinic being based in the Ashford, Middlesex area).

The Stephanie Marks' Project Team has a clear vision of the communication systems that are needed and the IT systems to support them. The new national IT and records systems are being developed in parallel with the project and will match the needs of users. The timing could not be better and opens up exciting possibilities.

Clive Thompson CBE
Chairman of The Stephanie Marks Appeal and
Chairman, Ashford & St Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust

Diabetes care is complicated, involving a wide range of services. The Stephanie Marks Centre seeks to update the way diabetes is currently handled by providing a co-ordinated network and a central resource for the entire catchment population of 450,000 people.

The model of care we are looking to provide has been developed following national guidelines (www.dh.gov.uk/nsf/diabetes) and is based on the strategies for chronic disease management of three Primary Care Trusts: North Surrey, Surrey Heath & Woking, and Hounslow.

The philosophy behind the Stephanie Marks Centre is to provide an identifiable and accessible resource facility for all involved in diabetes care. One of the major benefits of a modern diabetes network is faster communication in all areas of diabetic healthcare delivery:

• Shared electronic records: Healthcare professionals will be able to view test results and scans from their practice computer

• Auditing: Medical staff will be able to track patient progress and record treatment outcomes

• Patient identification: Patients who are at risk of complications will receive specific monitoring

• Patient advice: Healthcare professionals will be able to email results, information and advice directly to patients

• Practice support: Practices in the network that are struggling to meet targets in any area of diabetes care will be given extra support

This sort of collaboration has enjoyed success in areas such as Tayside, Scotland, which is now one of the most advanced regions in the UK for monitoring and measuring improvements in diabetes care. The creation of such a network would clearly provide a balance between community and specialist care (details of the Tayside project can be viewed at www.diabetes-healthnet.ac.uk).

The need for training

The diabetes team based within the proposed Resource Centre will work together with the Primary Care Trusts to provide diabetes care in the most appropriate setting, ensuring that people with diabetes are managed on the basis of their clinical needs and requirements. Equally important will be the continued development of a range of diabetes nurses and staff for maintaining a register, ensuring regular surveillance, and providing much of the educational and routine
assessment – both in hospital and community settings. The Centre will provide many of the educational and communication functions that will be equally accessible by patients, carers and health professionals.

Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases of childhood. It can strike children at any age, including pre-school children and even toddlers. Yet diabetes in children is often diagnosed late, or it is misdiagnosed completely.

Today, more than 240 million people worldwide are living with diabetes. Within 20 years, this number is expected to grow to 380 million. Children are not spared from this global epidemic, with its debilitating and life-threatening complications. Type 1 diabetes is growing by 3% per year in children and adolescents, and at an alarming 5% per year among pre-school children. It is estimated that 70,000 children under 15 develop type 1 diabetes each year (almost 200 children a day). Type 2 diabetes was once seen as a disease of adults. Today, this type of diabetes is growing at alarming rates in children and adolescents.

Diabetes has a unique impact on children and their families. The daily life of children is disrupted by the need to monitor blood glucose levels, take medication, and balance the effect of activity and food. Diabetes can interfere with the normal developmental tasks of childhood and adolescence, which include succeeding in school and transitioning to adulthood. The Stephanie Marks Diabetes Appeal is raising money to create a state-of-the-art diabetes resource centre. This cutting edge facility, which will be located at the entrance to St. Peter's Hospital, will help the child and family cope and ensure the best possible physical and emotional health of the child.

In line with the goals of the Stephanie Marks Diabetes Appeal, the International Diabetes Federation campaign aims to raise awareness of the rising prevalence of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents. Early diagnosis and early education are crucial to reducing complications and saving lives. The healthcare community, educators, parents and guardians must join forces to help children living with diabetes, prevent the condition in those at risk, and avoid unnecessary death and disability.