DUK - Membership

[falcon123]

I hope everyone had a Happy Christmas and an enjoyable start to the New Year. In a few weeks my membership renewal will be dropping onto my doormat. I was wondering how many of you were members, how many renewed each year and how many were life members?

My parents paid for me to join in either late 1968 or early 1969. There was an option of life membership which my parents did not go for; partially because it was seen as quite expensive and also you had to live for over 20 years to benefit from it! The details are lost in the mists of time but it is quite scary to look back. Since then my membership has been renewed each year. A number of times we/I have been tempted not to renew for various reasons. In the early days it was because I was never offered a place at one of the camps to meet other youngsters with diabetes. In more recent years it was because they did not seem to be fully behind campaigns to retain animal insulins. At other times it was a feeling they were not spending money wisely and that Balance was not worth reading. Some of the famous diabetics seemed irrlevant. Of the more relevant ones I found Gary Mabbut interesting but suffered from Steve Redgrave overload!

It will be interesting to hear others' views. I imagine I will rejoin as per usual although I will probably dither before doing so.

 

[Northerner]

I joined in June 2008 when I was diagnosed and I did dither about renewing this year, partly because I don't really find Balance of much interest and partly because I don't like their website - for a lengthy period of time I was unable to log in, despite entering my details correctly. I'm not entirely sure what they do with my money either. Unless there is a significant change for the better I think my money will be going to JDRF in future.

 

[Peter C]

I hope everyone had a Happy Christmas and an enjoyable start to the New Year. In a few weeks my membership renewal will be dropping onto my doormat. I was wondering how many of you were members, how many renewed each year and how many were life members?

to meet other youngsters with diabetes. In more recent years it was because they did not seem to be fully behind campaigns to retain animal insulins.

I'll be rejoining simply because we are better off having a Voice representing Diabetics than not. And the British Diabetic Assoc ( I do wish it would revert to its proper name and stop using the working title "Diabetes Uk") has led the cause over 75 years. We would have been in sh#t street without it. Just think of it some of its recent achievements - pushing GI into prominence, kick-starting the DAFNE programme by research and investment, all the research it does ( and the list of its current research is easy to find on their page in the Research Project section). And of course it reports on some of the research it is funding in its Research Notes in Balance.
Funny you should mention "animal insulins" Falcon because of course that was another success of the BDA/Diabetes Uk way back in 1994. Britain could easily have gone the way of the USA and got rid of Animal insulins completely in the early nineties but older T1s wanted it reatined. The BDA responded with a 140,000 petition to the Government and the insulin manufacturers and forced them to guarantee the continuance of animal insulins for those who wanted it. I was in the BDA at the time and our local group campaigned on the petition, explaining the issue and rounding up signatories. That's one petition that DID work !!!!
I've got no time for all this griping and sour nit-picking about Daibetes Uk - if people dont want to support it , dont join it ; you''ll get the benifts of its work anyway.
--------------------------------------------------------
"Ask not what Diabetes UK can do for you ; ask what you can do for Diabetes Uk". JFK paraphrased.

 

[sofaraway]

I am due to rejoin and haven't got around to it yet, I am wondering about joining as a professional member this time.

 

[Caroline Wilson]

I joined in 2007, renewed in 2008 and became a life member in 2009. I also support the lottery draw run by DUK and have had about four small wins. I also buy from the Diabetes shop and make a small donation.

 

[rossi_mac]

Finally!

It's good to hear some positive thoughts on DUK, thanks for the details Peter.

I begged for my folks to buy life membership once I decided I would keep this thing for a wee while

I accept there are other charities, but this one for a start funds this forum, oh and there's more to charities than there publications!!!

And it sounds like a small animal I'm fond of both on the plate and in the pond!!

Rossi🙂

 

[Einstein]

Personally I cancelled my membership. My reasons are:

Balance is a dire means of communicating with the membership. Quite who their target market is I truly don't know.

Change of membership to supporters - an explanation why please? Is DUK to become an invited members only club for the rights of voting the committee?

Lack of accountability - they invest a considerable amount of money each year, not once has anyone shouted about a major discovery through this research, has any funds come back to the charity through joint patent registrations - as funder or joint funders I don't see why they shouldn't be named and benefit from the research.

Website - convoluted, poorly designed and containing informtion of little use.

Championing the cause - there is a postcode lottery as to which type 2's get test strips and which don't. Surely this is a prime area for campaigning? Where is DUK on this important campaign???

While we're at the website and campaigns, why on the website is there mention of campaigning, but there is no information about a single campaign in place today.

If this charity is to remain without a voice to it's supporters, impotent in campaigning to politicians and the wider population what is the point in supporting it.

I have conditions beyond diabetes, namely being deafened, two charities that positively help me are Hearing Concern LINK and Hearing Dogs for Deaf People. Both are minute charities compared to DUK, however, they do a considerable amount to support their members and those elidgable to be helped by them.

DUK looks like a very sick organisation driven by egos and with a complete lack of understanding of it's membership.

As with the RNID these large national charities get their kinks from one sector or another, however, they are too big and have ended up running charities as business, as such local voices, concerns and understanding fades to close on invisible.

 

[rhall92380]

I took out life membership 2 years ago because it is a condition for life and I plan to be around for more than 20 years!

Richard

 

[falcon123]

Funny you should mention "animal insulins" Falcon because of course that was another success of the BDA/Diabetes Uk way back in 1994. Britain could easily have gone the way of the USA and got rid of Animal insulins completely in the early nineties but older T1s wanted it reatined. The BDA responded with a 140,000 petition to the Government and the insulin manufacturers and forced them to guarantee the continuance of animal insulins for those who wanted it. I was in the BDA at the time and our local group campaigned on the petition, explaining the issue and rounding up signatories. That's one petition that DID work !!!!

Yes BUT it took them quite a time to get up to speed and these days I feel the IDDT (Insulin Dependent Diabetes Trust) are more active on this front. My late mother suffered from Parkinson's in her latter years and we found the Parkinson's Disease Society far more supportive.

 

[Peter C]

Yes BUT it took them quite a time to get up to speed and these days I feel the IDDT (Insulin Dependent Diabetes Trust) are more active on this front. My late mother suffered from Parkinson's in her latter years and we found the Parkinson's Disease Society far more supportive.

the BDA/Diabetes Uk have contiuned to police the agreement they won on "animal insulins" since their 1994 victory on it. Questions in the House, meetings with Ministers and Insulin manufacturers etc , etc.
I think you will find that the IDDT spends most of its time attacking Human and Analogue Insulins ( witness their paranoia about Lantus ) rather than promoting "animal insulins".

 

[Mand]

Rossi, yes, there is more to charities than their publications and i am very grateful for all the good stuff that all the charities do. I am grateful for every bit of support i get. 🙂

It's just a shame that my experience with the DUK mags have not given a good impression.

I will relay my concerns to them.

🙂

 

[falcon123]

the BDA/Diabetes Uk have contiuned to police the agreement they won on "animal insulins" since their 1994 victory on it. Questions in the House, meetings with Ministers and Insulin manufacturers etc , etc.
I think you will find that the IDDT spends most of its time attacking Human and Analogue Insulins ( witness their paranoia about Lantus ) rather than promoting "animal insulins".

Peter, I think we will have to agree to differ. The fact that "CP Pharmaceuticals Ltd" are the only UK manufacturer of pork and beef insulins speaks for itself. I suspect Novo only dropped them to enhance the bottom line - profits before patients!

 

[Peter C]

Peter, I think we will have to agree to differ. The fact that "CP Pharmaceuticals Ltd" are the only UK manufacturer of pork and beef insulins speaks for itself. I suspect Novo only dropped them to enhance the bottom line - profits before patients!

I though CP Pharmaceuticals disappeared years ago, taken over by Wockhardt who supply their insulins from India.

 

[falcon123]

I though CP Pharmaceuticals disappeared years ago, taken over by Wockhardt who supply their insulins from India.

The company on my vials of insulin (EXP DEC 2011) is CP Pharmaceuticals Ltd of Wrexham, UK. Wockhardt is the parent company so I suspect the labelling will change at some point in the future, c.f. Abbey becomes Santander in a few days.