Helen Bailey is mum to Emma (almost 17) who was diagnosed at 3 years old. Nothing has kept Emma back and she has been heavily involved in drama groups, performing in shows, a member of the St John Ambulance and is now working towards her Gold Duke of Edinburgh award. Helen works for an accountancy firm. She has attended Friends For Life since the first UK Conference in 2009 and from 2017 has manned the exhibition stand for DRWF, a worldwide charity, whose UK base is local to her.

In 1989, Douglas Cairns was a British Royal Air Force jet pilot at the age of 25 when he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, and consequently lost his flying career. In 2000 he regained the freedom to fly in the USA as a licenced private pilot, and then went on to complete "Diabetes World Flight" in 2003, the first round-the-world flight by a pilot with type 1 diabetes. Douglas continues to fly exciting flying projects in the UK and USA and is an avid advocate for Pilots With Diabetes.

Sophie Cairns has been a T3 spouse for seven years. Originally from Hong Kong, Sophie began climbing mountains in 2009 to raise funds for cancer research, and in 2013-14 climbed the highest volcano on each continent (including Mount Sidley in Antarctica). Her book on the adventure, Climbing the Seven Volcanoes, was published last month. Sophie has a great love for animals and has founded an animal micro-sanctuary with Douglas. She currently works as a Life Sciences analyst.

Chelsea has grown up around diabetes. Her brother Jeremy was diagnosed in 2000. She attended her first Friends for Life Conference with her family in 2003 in Orlando and has been to many Children With Diabetes Conferences since that time. It was through the FFL conferences in Orlando that she first met her husband, Martyn. Chelsea now lives in Glasgow and having completed her Masters Degree in History at the University of Edinburgh, works as a data analyst for Vodafone UK. She is also an aerialist and spends all of her free time hanging from the rafters on a trapeze in various venues around the UK! Chelsea says, "FFL represents the closest friends and family you can have. Everyone you meet understands the experience of T1D and its role in everyday life: for those with diabetes and those who love them."

Martyn lives in Scotland and was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was five years old. Martyn earned his Bachelor of Science in Nursing from The University West of Scotland and currently works with different age groups with diabetes. He would like to become a Diabetes Specialist Nurse (DSN). Martyn met his wife Chelsea at the Friends for Life Conference in Orlando. He has participated in the Friends for Life conferences both in United States of American and the UK for many years, working within the Elementary, Tween and Teen age groups where he loves helping out and being with his friends at conferences on both sides of the pond.

Edward Damiano, PhD, is Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Boston University (BU) and President & CEO of Beta Bionics. Over the years, his lab at BU has been engaged in basic scientific research that combines aspects of fluid dynamics, solid mechanics, and intravital microscopy to study the biomechanics of the inner ear and blood flow in the microcirculation. In addition to his basic science research, he has also been committed to building a bionic pancreas for automatically controlling blood sugar levels in people type 1 diabetes (T1D). Ever since his 21-year-old son, David, was diagnosed with T1D in infancy, he has set his sights on creating a bihormonal (insulin and glucagon) bionic pancreas by building and integrating autonomous, intelligent systems into a purpose-built, wearable medical device. He and his engineering team at BU began conducting experiments testing an early prototype of their bionic pancreas running on a laptop computer in animal studies in 2005 and then progressed with clinical collaborators at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) through in-patient clinical trials in adults and adolescents with T1D from 2008–2012. From 2013–2019, he and his team at BU, along with clinical collaborators at MGH and other academic research centers across the US, conducted over a dozen home-use clinical trials in adults and children with diabetes. With support from the T1D community, he and his engineering team at BU began building the first purpose-built, fully integrated, bihormonal bionic pancreas that did not rely upon third-party smartphone technology. They called their device the iLet bionic pancreas. By the end of 2015, the iLet and associated technology was licensed to Beta Bionics, Inc., a Massachusetts Public Benefit Corporation committed to commercializing the iLet. Three home-use clinical trials testing the iLet were conducted in 2018 and 2019. Through a collaborative effort between Damiano’s lab at BU, 16 clinical sites across the US, and the Jaeb Center for Health Research, a 13-week pivotal clinical trial has begun that will test the commercial version of the iLet in 440 adults and children with T1D. The goal is to use the clinical data from this pivotal trial to support a market application to the US FDA in the first half of 2021. FDA clearance of that application is expected by mid-2021.

Mark graduated from Queen’s University Belfast in 1998 with a doctorate in Clinical Psychology. Prior to this he worked as a Research Psychologist at St George’s Hospital Medical School, University of London. Since June 2000 he has worked at Belfast City Hospital where he provides a clinical psychology service to people with diabetes and the healthcare professionals who care for them across Belfast Health & Social Care Trust. Most his working time is spent talking to people with diabetes about a wide range of psychological issues that can impair their ability or willingness to look after their diabetes. In addition, he provides supervision and training to a range of healthcare professionals both locally and nationally. He has published widely. He has recently supervised a Diabetes UK funded project exploring why people living with diabetes choose not to attend structured education programmes and a feasibility study of an intervention for people who present with high levels of diabetes distress. He is particularly interested person-centred practice and is a member of the Knuston Ireland faculty, which runs an empowerment and counselling skills training course each year for diabetes healthcare professionals across Ireland.  

Dr Gibb graduated from the University of Edinburgh Medical School in 2000. He undertook specialist training in Endocrinology & Diabetes in Edinburgh between 2005 and 2012. He was appointed to a Consultant post in Endocrinology & Diabetes in 2012 at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. His clinical interests include the management of type 1 diabetes, inpatient diabetes care, general endocrinology and the management of differentiated thyroid cancer.

Dr Gibb was awarded a PhD, from the University of Edinburgh, for research examining the metabolic effects of sex steroid hormones and has a number of active clinical research projects. He is currently Secretary-Treasurer of the Caledonian Society for Endocrinology & Diabetes and Chair of the Type 1 Diabetes subgroup of the Scottish Diabetes Group.

Gavin Griffiths is the founder of UK registered charitable incorporated organisation "Diathlete" and has lived with type 1 diabetes since the age of 8. From being ill-advised to avoid the risks to his health in sports during childhood years, and struggling to settle with this condition during school years, Gavin has found his feet - literally - having accomplished over 100 endurance challenges for the diabetes cause, all around the world. Up for running 30 marathons in 30 days from John O'Groats to Land's End, anyone?

Ashley Head is husband to Shayne and dad to Jake (30) and Phoebe (24, Dx T1D 2001). He is Director of an International Event Logistics company, owner of Lewes FC, the first sem-pro soccer club to fund it's men's and women's teams equally and organises an off-road marathon – The Moyleman – in Lewes, East Sussex. He has volunteered at Friends For Life in the USA since 2009 and was part of the team to help CWD set up the first FFL UK at Beaumont House. Ash takes care of the Sponsor/ Exhibit space at the conferences and works on the move-in and move-out crew. Ash is a trustee of T1 Today UK. Ash also helps to run the T-1 Today UK Dad's discussion group.

Jackie Jacombs first became involved in the CWD USA parent’s mailing list shortly after her daughter Sasha was diagnosed

with diabetes in 1999. There were no equivalent supporting mailing lists or websites in the UK. Jackie asked CWD Founder, Jeff Hitchcock, if he would set up a mailing list for UK families. This was the start of a strong on-line community of families in the UK. They now have a committed Facebook group which replaced the UK mailing list. The UK Children with Diabetes Advocacy Group was formed in 2007 to advocate for better care, especially in schools and better access to new technology. There are annual family weekends away for families to meet each other and parents who live near each other, arrange to meet up with their children in the holidays. Various parents of the Facebook group continue to work and support the work of JDRF, Diabetes UK, DRWF and INPUT whenever possible. Jackie’s daughter Sasha, is now 25 years old, studying Biological Sciences and hopes to work in research. Sasha’s identical twin, working in law, does not have type 1, but both twins have really enjoyed helping out at the CWD UK confer- ences in the past.

Brian Kennon was appointed as an adult consultant diabetologist in 2004. He works at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Glasgow, Scotland and his sub-speciality interests include transitional care, diabetes foot disease and technology enabled care. He is also interested in developing person-centred care models and a societal approach to wellbeing. As national lead for diabetes in Scotland he has been involved in the implementation of the Diabetes Improvement Plan with the aim of improving the care of persons with diabetes across Scotland. He is also chair of the Scottish Diabetes Innovations and Technologies group which aims to improve adoption of innovative solutions to improving care and outcomes. Brian is the proud father of 2 sons aged 3 years and 6 months and personal interests include football, walking, open water swimming and cycling. 

Jude Kennon has been a Diabetes Specialist Nurse for 7 years. Having graduated from Glasgow Caledonian University in 2010, Jude started her career in medical receiving at Victoria Infirmary Hospital, Glasgow. Here Jude learned about the acute side of diabetes and its complications. From here, Jude moved to a diabetes ward at Gartnavel General Hospital, where she gained further experience in diabetes and successfully applied for her current role as a Diabetes Nurse Specialist at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Glasgow. Specialist interests include transition care, psychological impact of diabetes, health literacy, and health inequalities. Jude is the proud mother of Dylan (3) and Harrison (6 months) her personal hobbies and interests include music, walking, open water swimming, dancing and all things Disney!

Scott Kyllo lives in British Columbia, Canada. He has two adult children, Alyssa and Chad. Their path along the diabetes road started in 1996 when his son, Chad, then age two, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when they were residing in Bahrain in the Middle East. The World Wide Web had just arrived in Bahrain and it brought to the Kyllo’s the safety of the Children with Diabetes family. Two years later, when life was becoming somewhat comfortable and routine, Alyssa, then age 7, was also diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Chad was also diagnosed with celiac disease in 2001. The family attended their first Friends For Life conference in 2002. Getting to meet the CWDers in person was like Christmas in July! Scott is a Chief Information Officer by day and an Aircraft Engineer by night maintaining a Piper Cherokee and a Mooney. These skills and his “MacGyver” qualities keep him running at the Friends For Life conferences as its Information Technology and Audio/Visual support person. He is a strong advocate of Friends For Life conferences and believes anyone with a connection to diabetes should attend at least one... although warns that the conferences are much like potato chips—it’s hard to stop at just one! Scott also helps to run the T-1 Today UK Dad's discussion group.

Rory's laboratory research interests are in hypoglycaemia and in the brain regulation of glucose homeostasis in type 1 and 2 diabetes. He is actively involved in clinical trials and is Lead Clinician for the Scottish Diabetes Research Network (SDRN) and a member of the SDRN epidemiology group. Prof McCrimmon is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, was awarded the 2015 RD Lawrence Lecture by Diabetes UK, serves on Editorial Boards of Diabetologia and Diabetes, and as a panel member for Medical Research Council Population Systems Medicine Board, the International Hypoglycaemia Study Group, and a non-executive member of NHS Tayside Health Board.

John is passionate about empowering and educating children and young people and their families to self-manage and take control of diabetes. He has had type 1 diabetes since 2008 and has played both cricket and football at a high level. He is passionate about being active, and takes every opportunity to get to the gym, walk the Grand Canyon, and tackle the Three Peaks. His work at Birmingham Children's Hospital (UK) involves delivering personalised education to; the newly diagnosed, those initiating pump therapy, new starters on CGM, and those wanting to improve their lifestyle. He run a sports specific clinic for those who play at a high level. His current interests is the effective use of CGM using a "Sugar Surfing" approach. His main focus is to bring the current evidence base into clinical practice as soon as pos- sible, by creating tools that make it easy. Recently, this has been the implementation of a new system KISS, for giving extra insulin for high fat and protein meals.

Danni Quinn is mum to three children. Joel is the youngest and was diagnosed with type 1 in 2003 at the age of four. She and Joel attended the first five FFL UK conferences. Danni has been an advocate for the inclusion and rights of T1 children at school since Joel experienced a lack of support. Over the years Danni has become very knowledgeable in policies and law relating to education, and 7 years ago she founded the Facebook group, 'T1 Children - Rights at School'. Danni is extremely passionate about making sure that parents are aware of the support their children are entitled to in education. She is delighted to be part of this year's virtual FFL!

Kyle Jacques Rose joined Team Type 1 as a cyclist in 2006 and competed in criteriums and endurance events around the world for more than 5 years. He retired as an independently sponsored professional athlete in 2013. After using the bike as a platform to raise awareness about diabetes, he continued to advocate for the cause by founding Delta Diabetes. His work has focused on expanding patient-led initiatives such as digital health startup mySugr, reaching over 2.5 million users. Kyle takes great pride in knowing that products and services he has helped design, shape, and deliver are being distributed on a global scale to fellow people with diabetes and firmly believes there is a need to do better. He was recently elected Vice President on the Board of Directors at the International Diabetes Federation

Gary is owner and Clinical Director of Integrated Diabetes Services, a practice located just outside of Philadelphia specializing in intensive insulin therapy and advanced education for children and adults.  

Gary has been a Certified Diabetes Educator for 25 years and has had Type-1 diabetes for 33years. Gary was named 2014 Diabetes Educator of the Year by the American Association of Diabetes Educators. He has written six books, including the best-selling “Think Like A Pancreas-A Practical Guide to Managing Diabetes With Insulin”. He lectures nationally and internationally for people with diabetes as well as professionals in the healthcare industry. In addition to serving on the faculty of Children With Diabetes and the Board of Directors for JDRF, Gary volunteers for the American Diabetes Association, Diabetes Sisters, and Setebaid Diabetes Camps.

Gary has been happily married for 30 years and has four wonderful kids. A fitness fanatic, he enjoys playing basketball, running, cycling and cheering on his Philadelphia sports teams.

National Diabetes Foot Coordinator for Scotland, NHS Lanarkshire

 

As a clinician, Duncan spent 27 years developing and running the gold standard multidisciplinary clinic in Hairmyres Hospital, NHS Lanarkshire. In his role as diabetes foot Coordinator for Scotland, he formed the Scottish Diabetes Foot Action Group (SDFAG) with the remit of improving services and outcomes for people with diabetes across Scotland. Duncan’s current secondment as diabetes foot Coordinator for Scotland is for two days per week since his retirement from clinical duties in May 2018. In his national role, Duncan has developed and implemented various initiatives that have transformed Diabetes foot services and care delivery across NHS Scotland. These initiatives include the Traffic light system to define diabetes foot service delivery depending on Risk Stratification which has been adopted by Diabetes UK and NHS England, and is recognised across Europe and beyond. Working alongside the Scottish Care Information Diabetes(SCI-D) developed and implemented a world renowned foot screening service with the addition of an online training module, supported with targeted educational leaflets and also the on-line ulcer management system on the SCI-D system. Duncan initiated the work to develop the PODIATRY COMPETENCY FRAMEWORK FOR INTEGRATED DIABETIC FOOT CARE which has recently been updated to the CAPABILITY FRAMEWORK FOR INTEGRATED DIABETIC LOWER LIMB CARE for use of all Health Care workers involved in lower limb care of people with diabetes. He has also developed and introduced a national in-patient campaign CPR for Feet, which is supported by the Scottish Government, with the ultimate goal of eradicating iatrogenic ulceration/harm to patients in all care settings. Duncan serves as an Executive Committee Member (Scottish Representative) of the Foot in Diabetes UK (FDUK) and is associate editor of the Diabetic Foot Journal. In his spare time, Duncan enjoys Fishing and golf in the summer, skiing in the winter, and keeping fit all year round.

Dr Sandeep Thekkepat, MBBS, FRCPE, has been working as Consultant Diabetologist and Clinical Lead at University Hospital Monklands for over a decade. His areas of expertise includes Type 1 diabetes care including transition and Adolescents, Diabetes technologies, Telemedicine and Medical Informatics. He had led local and large-scale European telemedicine implementations. Dr Thekkepat is active in clinical research, teaching and training of doctors and other allied health professionals.

Dr Debbie Wake is an Adult Diabetes Consultant (NHS Lothian), Clinical Reader at University of Edinburgh, CEO/Co-Founder MyWay Digital Health (MWDH) and Clinical Lead for My Diabetes My Way (https://www.mydiabetesmyway.scot.nhs.uk), Scotlands national patient portal. Debbie is a Diabetes UK Clinical Champion, and a 2019 IUK Women in Innovation Award winner. She leads national project on diabetes artificial intelligence, international diabetes education programmes in Kuwait and China, and Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) for diabetes education. Previously, she was a national newspaper health columnist and TV doctor/ presenter for STVs ‘The Hour’ programme. Through MWDH, she runs mytype1diabetes.nhs.uk, the NHS England Type 1 diabetes platform, and is piloting technology driven diabetes IT solutions in USA, Middle East and India.

Jill is a pediatric psychologist and a certified diabetes educator with over 25 years of research experience and clinical work with children, adolescents and families with diabetes and their families. Her academic appointment is as a Professor of Psychiatry at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. She has published numerous research articles and offered workshops and lectures addressing issues such as improving self-management behaviors, family adaptation and coping, building adolescent resilience, the use of technology (CGM, Pumps and the Artificial Pancreas), and transitioning from pediatric to adult care. She is a co-author of two books, one that focuses on transitioning from pediatric to adult care, and another that focuses on working with adolescents with type 1 diabetes.

Neil Benchell has spent the better part of the past decade involved with T-1 Today UK in one form or another, after watching from the side-lines as the “spouse” of a faculty member. Most recently, Neil has been a member of the Teen Staff and one of their leaders both in the US and UK. It is the goal of the entire Teen programme to ensure that the Teens have exciting and entertaining learning experiences as well as the opportunities to build lasting “Friends for Life.” Neil is thrilled to have been able to pass on the “FFL magic” to so many Teens over the years. When he is not working on the Teen staff, Neil is an attorney practicing in the area of intellectual property litigation. In that capacity, Neil has had the opportunity to represent a number of diabetes-related organisations.

Neil Carpenter started working at Abbott in 1999. Neil is a Principal Scientist working in Research and Development, and is involved in the design and development of test strips and meters for blood glucose monitoring. Neil has a non-identical twin, but likes to regard themselves as "simultaneous brothers". He enjoys watching many different sports. Formerly a choir boy, Neil now prefers to enjoy his music through visits to the theatre and and attending concerts. He also likes to spend his free time traveling both in the UK and abroad. Neil met his wife Nicola through working at Abbott.

Jake Head, 30, is son to Ash Head and Shayne Weldon, brother of Phoebe (24, Dx T1D 2001). He is an Event Manager at EFI Logistics, responsible for managing International Exhibition and Trade Show Logistics at events all over the world. He is a keen motorcycle enthusiast and recently rode his motorcycle up to the northern reaches of Norway on a camping holiday. Jake has worked with the Teen Group in the UK since 2015 and assists with move-in.

Jude Kennon has been a Diabetes Specialist Nurse for 6 years. Having graduated from Glasgow Caledonian University in 2010, Jude started her career in medical receiving at Victoria Infirmary Hospital, Glasgow. Here Jude learned about the acute side of diabetes and its complications. From here, Jude moved to a diabetes ward at Gartnavel General Hospital, where she gained further experience in diabetes and successfully applied for her current role as a Diabetes Nurse Specialist. Specialist interests include transition care, psychological impact of diabetes, health literacy, and health inequalities. Jude is the proud mother of Dylan (2) and her personal hobbies and interests include music, walking, dancing, and all things Disney!

Jon Peel is the Sensor Manufacture Lead for the FreeStyle Libre system at Abbott Diabetes Care. Jon has been with Abbott for 15 years in various roles, so knows a lot about glucose monitoring for diabetes. In his spare time, Jon enjoys listening to music and is a regular regular festival goer. He also enjoys both watching and playing cricket and taking his mad dog out for walks. Jon has run five full marathons, over 20 half marathons, and might attempt another one!

Chelsea Carr has grown up around diabetes. Her brother Jeremy was diagnosed in 2000. She attended her first Friends for Life Conference with her family in 2003 in Orlando and has been to many Children With Diabetes Conferences since that time. It was through the FFL conferences in Orlando that she first met her husband, Martyn. Chelsea now lives in Glasgow and having completed her Masters Degree in History at the University of Edinburgh, works as a data analyst for Vodafone UK. She is also an aerialist and spends all of her free time hanging from the rafters on a trapeze in various venues around the UK! Chelsea says, "FFL represents the closest friends and family you can have. Everyone you meet understands the experience of T1D and its role in everyday life: for those with diabetes and those who love them".

Martyn Carr, BSc, RN, lives in Scotland and was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was five years old. Martyn earned his Bachelor of Science in Nursing from The University West of Scotland and currently works with different age groups with diabetes. He would like to become a Diabetes Specialist Nurse (DSN). Martyn met his wife Chelsea at the Friends for Life Conference in Orlando. He has participated in the Friends for Life conferences both in United States of American and the UK for many years, working within the Elementary, Tween and Teen age groups where he loves helping out and being with his friends at conferences on both sides of the pond.

Christine Lynch, RN, is a Diabetes Specialist Nurse at Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley working closely with the Paediatric team with the young adults/adolescent groups who are making the ‘Transition’ to Adult Services. Christine started nursing training in 1987, qualifying in 1989. After working in busy medical wards Christine attended Caledonian University in Glasgow and completed her EN Conversion course, qualifying in 2002 as a Registered Nurse. Thereafter, she joined the Diabetes Team at the Southern General Hospital Glasgow, now Queen Elizabeth Hospital, in December that year, working initially as the Diabetes Clinic Nurse and thereafter undertook the roles of Diabetes Research Nurse, Diabetes Vascular Liaison Nurse and eventually becoming a Diabetes Specialist Nurse. Christine has been involved in many aspects within Diabetes, working with patients with both Type 1 and Type 2, Gestational Diabetes and also those with Genetic types of Diabetes. She has attended Diabetes Camp events on a couple of occasions and is looking forward to volunteering at this year’s Children With Diabetes Conference. She loves to hear of, and learn from, peoples’ life experience with Diabetes and hopes that the experience and knowledge she has gained through working within this field has assisted her in offering support and education to others and help them manage their condition independently. Outside work Christine is Mum to a grown up daughter and they both enjoy attending live music events, days out, weekends away and holidays in the sun.

Saheela Mohammed started at Abbott in 2017 and is a Bioengineer by training. Saheela is now a Project Engineer who was previously on the Engineering Graduate Development Programme at Abbott. She is involved in the manufacturing process of Freestyle Libre sensors. Outside of work, Saheela enjoys volunteering her time to encourage the uptake of STEM in schools. She also loves reading, travelling and spending time with her friends and family. Saheela is looking forward to joining the virtual conference this year. It’s wonderful to see that there are so many new first timers joining!!

Liz Phipps started at Abbott over 20 years ago. Liz is a Clinical Study Start-up Specialist, working in Clinical Affairs team, her role involves setting-up studies with Doctors & Nurses to test our glucose monitoring systems. Liz regularly enjoys cycling and takes part in events across the country. She re-found her love for cycling when she signed up for a charity ride on behalf of the JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) in 2014. She also enjoys gardening, walks with her pet Labrador and knitting bobble hats.

Becky Thomson was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2009 at the age of 24. She is a writer, director and actor who posts far less frequently than she would like on her blog, Instructions Not Included. Over the last nine years, she has been privileged to work with new pump users during their start up and take her one woman show about diagnosis and life with Type 1 to northern audiences and medical students in Leeds. In her day job she works in university accommodation services with a focus on students with additional medical needs and requirements. She is currently learning to play Roller Derby despite being fairly terrible at it. She has attended three Orlando Friends For Life conferences and is thrilled to have the opportunity to assist with the UK conference for a second year.

Marissa Wylie has worked for Abbott Diabetes Care for just over 14 years and is now the Operational Excellence Manager for the Witney site, previously Marissa looked after the manufacturing processes of Libre Sensors. Marissa has a degree in Science and a Masters in Business Administration. Marissa loves horses and is lucky enough to have her own horse called Bob. They spend time together going for rides and jumping (small jumps!) in competitions. Marissa has recently discovered a passion for outdoor swimming & can be found swimming around in lakes & rivers. Marissa recently built up her distance to complete a 10Km swim in the River Dart, Devon.

Laura Braid has been a volunteer for Friends For Life UK since the first UK conference. Laura, who has a family history of type 1, completed research in diabetes technology as part of her Master’s Degree, and currently works as an engineer for a Diabetes technology manufacturing company. Originally from the US, Laura lives in the Scottish Highlands with her husband, two guinea pigs, a flock of chickens and tankful of fish. Laura is a proud Auntie to seven nieces and nephews and in her spare time plays trombone in several bands, enjoys mountain biking, loves home brewing and is a keen gardener. She loves volunteering for FFL because of the huge support network that it creates for families impacted by diabetes and because of the sheer joy and laughter the conference brings.

Rebekah Sutherland was diagnosed with T1 diabetes in 1998 at 36 months old. She attended her first Friend for Life UK Conference in 2010, her first Children With Diabetes Orlando Conference in 2013 and has attended both ever since, joining the volunteer staff on both sides of the Pond in 2014. Bex graduated in Social Science in 2016 and is continuing her studies at Open University majoring in psychology with counselling with a view to becoming a diabetes psychologist and educator. Since the age of 13, Bex has delivered speeches on life with diabetes at business lunches, fundraising balls, oil industry events, school assemblies and since 2015 speaks to the 2nd year medical students at Aberdeen University during their lectures on diabetes. In her spare time, she plays competitive netball, is a swimming teacher, dotes on her nephew, loves reading and enjoys a good vanilla latte.

Nicola Carpenter started at Abbott over 20 years ago. Nicola is a Principal Technologist, working in Technical Services managing projects involved with raw materials that are used in the manufacture of blood glucose and ketone strips. Nicola enjoys singing and has sung in the same choir since joining the junior choir many years ago, which has led to performing all around the country and abroad. She also loves dance, especially tap dancing, and likes to regularly visit the theatre.

Nikki Hawtin started at Abbott over 23 years ago working in various departments before settling in document control 13 years ago where she works in all aspects of documentation. She now specialises in project documentation, specifically the introducion of new products. Nikki volunteers as a beaver scout leader for a local scout group (6-8 year old children) and volunteers for a scout cooking team called OxChefs. Nikki used to be a gymnastic coach and judge for Women’s artistic gymnastics for a local club. The rest of Nikki’s free time is spent with her two labrador dogs.

Hannah was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2010 and has been attending Friends for Life Conferences ever since. Hannah loves hearing about new research, technology and tips to manage her type 1 at the Conferences. Hannah is now studying Biomedical Sciences at university, with a particular interest in type 1 diabetes research. Aside from her studies Hannah enjoys playing cricket and music. 

Alex Stroud has attended the Friends for Life Orlando conference for the last nine years and she is excited to join the FFL UK for her second year in childcare. Alex keeps coming back to FFL because of the diabetes education and technology, the positive atmosphere, the support for families, and the fun in childcare! Alex is a graduate from Chico State University, where she participated on the women's golf team and received her Bachelor's degree in Psychology and Child Development. She has experience as a representative for Dexcom and is currently working at Insulet International in London, UK where she resides with her husband James Stroud, who works with Dexcom.  

Chris has been a FFL UK regular since 2010 and was a trustee of T-1 Today UK from 2015-18. He is married to Teresa, dad to Daniel, Hannah and Mattie, an actuary, Lecturer in Actuarial Science at Queen Mary University of London, and a big Toronto BlueJays fan. Chris is looking forward to learning more from the great speakers at FFL 2020 and hoping his WiFi holds up.

Elli Flicos attended her first FFL conference in 2009 as a Teen, where she loved to make friends to carb count with at dinner, and skip queues at Thorpe Park during the ever popular teen offsite trip! She was diagnosed with T1 in 2002, has been pumping since 2004, and using sensors since 2009. Elli also uses a wheelchair, is deaf and is in the process of being diagnosed with Ehler-Danlos Syndrome. Outside of medical issues, Elli is doing a PhD in Physics, and in her free time enjoys being a Guide Leader and learning BSL. This year, Elli is returning after quite a number of years as Room Captain for the T1 Adults/Young Adults and Significant Others, bringing her husband, Sam, with her.  

Emma Strack-Smith’s son, Hugo, was diagnosed aged 6, in 2016. They have really enjoyed attending every FFL since 2017. Emma joined the staff of FFL in 2019 and was due also to work at FFL Florida this year, until the pandemic stopped play! Emma is a Reflexologist after being a chartered accountant and working around the world for 16 years and also working in the exercise industry. She has 4 kids (Hugo being the youngest) and enjoys fitness and (currently) beating her kids at Fantasy Football! 

Gwen Sutherland is a volunteer on both sides of the pond having attended her first UK Friends for Life Conference in 2010 after being encouraged to attend when daughter Rebekah (Dx T1D 1998 aged three) was receiving her pump training. In 2013, Gwen and Bex attended their first Orlando Conference and she has been on the registration team there ever since. Gwen lives in Aberdeen, with husband David; they have four children Jamie, Gemma, Sarah and Rebekah and are now doting grandparents to Aaden, who was born in May 2016. Gwen is a Trustee and Chairperson of T-1 Today UK, organising the UK Conferences.

In 1989, Douglas Cairns was a British Royal Air Force jet pilot at the age of 25 when he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, and consequently lost his flying career. In 2000 he regained the freedom to fly in the USA as a licenced private pilot, and then went on to complete "Diabetes World Flight" in 2003, the first round-the-world flight by a pilot with type 1 diabetes. Douglas continues to fly exciting flying projects in the UK and USA and is an avid advocate for Pilots With Diabetes.

Ashley Head is husband to Shayne and dad to Jake (30) and Phoebe (24, Dx T1D 2001). He is Director of an International Event Logistics company, owner of Lewes FC, the first semi-pro soccer club to fund it's men's and women's teams equally and organises an off-road marathon – The Moyleman – in Lewes, East Sussex. He has volunteered at Friends For Life in the USA since 2009 and was part of the team to help CWD set up the first FFL UK at Beaumont House. Ash takes care of the Sponsor/ Exhibit space at the conferences and works on the move-in and move-out crew. Ash is a trustee of T1 Today UK. Ash also helps to run the T-1 Today UK Dad's discussion group.

Penny's daughter Sophie was diagnosed in 2004 aged 2. First attending FFL UK in 2009, she has worked in many different areas of the Type 1 community and is currently the Treasurer of T-1 Today UK. Penny spends her free time cycling & hiking in the Yorkshire Dales.

David Sutherland is dad to Jamie, Gemma, Sarah and Rebekah (Dx T1D 1998, aged 3), Grandpa to Aaden and married to Gwen. He attended his first Friends for Life UK Conference in 2010 and his first Children With Diabetes Orlando Conference in 2014. David is on the Food and Beveridge Team on both sides of the Pond and is one of the two Co-ordinators for T-1 Today UK, organising, planning and carb counting all the meals and snacks during the Conferences. He is a criminal defence lawyer in Aberdeen, running his own business, which also employs Jamie and Gwen. When not in court he enjoys going to the gym, cycling, spending time with his family and playing with Aaden. 

Scott Kyllo lives in British Columbia, Canada. He has two adult children, Alyssa and Chad. Their path along the diabetes road started in 1996 when his son, Chad, then age two, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when they were residing in Bahrain in the Middle East. The World Wide Web had just arrived in Bahrain and it brought to the Kyllo’s the safety of the Children with Diabetes family. Two years later, when life was becoming somewhat comfortable and routine, Alyssa, then age 7, was also diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Chad was also diagnosed with celiac disease in 2001. The family attended their first Friends For Life conference in 2002. Getting to meet the CWDers in person was like Christmas in July! Scott is a Chief Information Officer by day and an Aircraft Engineer by night maintaining a Piper Cherokee and a Mooney. These skills and his “MacGyver” qualities keep him running at the Friends For Life conferences as its Information Technology and Audio/Visual support person. He is a strong advocate of Friends For Life conferences and believes anyone with a connection to diabetes should attend at least one... although warns that the conferences are much like potato chips—it’s hard to stop at just one! Scott also helps to run the T-1 Today UK Dad's discussion group.

Glynn Robinson is married to Penny and has four children including Sophie: diagnosed in 2004 aged 2. He has attended FFL conferences in the UK since 2009. He works as the Executive Chair at an IT service company and is naturally drawn to the technological advances in diabetes management. He is also an Education Advisor, sits on the Skills & Education Panel in his local authority and is on the Board of TuringLab: an organisation providing disadvantaged children with key digital skills. Glynn is also the T-1 Today UK WebMaster. 

Richie Bradford is a software engineer and development manager for a large global public safety company. He is married to Patsy and dad to Sean, who was diagnosed with Type 1 at the age of 4. In his free time, Richie enjoys brewing his own beer, playing guitar and walking his overly energetic dog Ember. Richie and his family attended their first Friends for Life conference in 2018, returning in 2019 and he is looking forward to getting more involved this year in the Tech Team.

John has watched his wife Laura (Elementary Leader) volunteer for many years and decided that he too could help out with this year's conference with technical support. John has a family history of Diabetes and has previously helped out with Diabetes UK charity events. He is a proud Uncle to 7 nieces and nephews and enjoys photography, gardening, and homebrewing. John is a Chartered Architectural Technologist and lives in the Scottish Highlands.

Gary Graham is a graduate of UHI University with a BA (Hons) in Popular Music. He is currently studying for a Masters Degree in Further Education at Aberdeen University whilst also lecturing full time at the North East of Scotland College in the Learning Opportunities Department. Gary was introduced to T-1 Today UK after meeting his partner Rebekah, who attended her first UK Conference in 2010, her first US Conference in 2013 and joined the staff at both in 2014, working initially in Childcare before moving to Elementary. Since being with Bex, Gary has gained an insight and understanding as to what Type 1 is all about which has enabled him to understand what some of his students deal with every day. In his spare time, Gary also enjoys writing and performing music in his multi-ensemble function band, Silver City Soul Revue. Throughout his ventures as a musician Gary has played at hundreds of weddings, functions and parties throughout the UK. Gary is also a keen runner and enjoys meditating daily.