From 8 – 14 June it is Diabetes Awareness Week and with that in mind we have chosen Gary Mabbutt as our Inspirational Diversity Champion of the month.

Gary was a professional footballer who made more than 750 appearances playing for Bristol Rovers and Tottenham Hotspur, and also won 16 caps for England. He is best remembered for his 16-year spell at Tottenham Hotspur, where he played from 1982 until 1998, winning the UEFA Cup in 1984 and the FA Cup in 1991.  His final appearance for the club came against Southampton on the last day of the 1997–98 season.

Gary has type 1 diabetes, and became an icon for many children with the condition. He famously appeared on the BBC’s children’s television programme Blue Peter where he demonstrated injecting insulin into an orange to show how he dealt with his condition on a daily basis.

After more than two decades in the sport, Gary is now Vice President and Patron of Diabetes UK, using his status as a well-known diabetic to raise awareness of the condition and encourage people with diabetes to live full lives. 

He currently works as an ambassador for Tottenham Hotspur football club as well as the Football Association, Diabetes UK and the Willow Foundation a national charity that provides special days for seriously ill 11-40 year olds.

Gary was awarded an MBE in the 1994 New Year Honours for services to football.

To find out more about Diabetes Awareness Week click here https://www.diabetes.org.uk/get_involved/diabetes-week

To find out more about Gary see here https://www.performingartistes.co.uk/artistes/gary-mabbutt