More than 70 Together Type 1 Young Leaders from across the UK met in Birmingham to take part in a Dragon’s Den competition and pitch ideas for Together Type 1 events in 2026.
The popular event saw Together Type 1 Young Leaders from across the UK come together for a Dragon’s Den style competition, where they pitched ideas for meaningful events that the Together Type 1 programme could put on in 2026. The assembled Young Leaders also took inspiration from Ru Paul’s Drag Race star SALLY (TM), who created a special diabetes-themed outfit for the event. SALLY talked about their own experience of living with diabetes, some regrets and some successes, and challenged the Young Leaders to follow their dreams.
The panel of Dragons included SALLY, Liam Eaglestone, CEO of the Steve Morgan Foundation, and staff from Diabetes UK. The Dragons heard a range of innovative event ideas, from a type 1 retreat weekend, to the diabetes-lympics!
Events for young people living with type 1 diabetes
“We will be taking many of these exciting ideas forward into our planning for next year,” said Iain French-Wilkie, Type 1 Services Programme Manager and Dragon.
“We wanted to create a mix of events that are meaningful for young people living with type 1 and realised that our Young Leader community is perfectly placed to help us develop and deliver them.”
Together Type 1 is a peer support and empowerment programme developed and delivered by Diabetes UK and funded by the Steve Morgan Foundation. The community is for anyone aged 11-25 living with type 1 diabetes and encourages members to make new friends, learn new skills and build their confidence.
Watch the video below to hear from attendees and gain an insight into the event
