Have you been feeling tired and thirsty? Have you been going to the toilet a lot? Perhaps you’ve been losing weight without trying, or suffering bouts of blurred vision?

If so then you might be suffering from diabetes, which is estimated to affect 6% of people living in the UK.

Facing up to this problem, the Tonbridge Lions Club tested 346 people including the Mayor of Tonbridge at their Annual Diabetes Screening Day on Saturday, August 6.

Since these tests first began in 2000, more than 130 people in Kent have been referred to their GP for further examination. Dominic Keast, chairman of the Tonbridge Lions Health Group, said: “I am delighted with the record numbers we have had today.”

It is estimated that 630,000 people in the UK have diabetes but do not realise.

Although diabetes can be hereditary and is also influenced by the environment, type 2 diabetes is also strongly associated with inactivity and obesity; so giving up smoking, keeping active, and eating healthy are all recommended as ways of ensuring you don’t develop diabetes.