A man from Pool is on a mission to prove that you can prevent type two diabetes.

Pat Scully, 58, is embarking on an awareness-raising cycle ride in aid of Diabetes UK on Saturday, July 29, after losing four stone in a year and taking himself out of the danger zone for type two diabetes.

He is planning to ride the cycle trail from Portreath to Devoran twice, as well as a local road circuit around Redruth and Camborne, stopping only at Bissoe, where there will be a Diabetes UK information point. To make sure he doesn’t go unnoticed, he will be painted blue and orange.

The local businessman, who runs slate signage company Stevens Cornish Slate, wants to highlight the importance of education in helping people to change their lifestyle.

It was after attending a course run by Cornwall Healthy Weight that Pat was able to tackle his weight problem. By learning how to eat more healthily and become more active, he went from a diagnosis of pre-diabetes to having blood glucose levels that are well within the normal non-diabetic range. Pre-diabetes, also known as non-diabetic hyperglycaemia, is where blood sugar levels are higher than normal, indicating that a person could go on to develop type two diabetes.

Pat said: “I love my grub – I’m the kind of person who will have two steaks instead of one. I knew I was overweight but I didn’t know how to go about tackling it until I went on the course. Education is so important. Now I am down to ten stone four pounds, I weigh myself every day, keep a food diary and have an app to check what I’m eating. I also cycle, go to the gym and go for long walks with my partner, Anne. I want people to know that it’s possible to make lasting changes and avoid a diagnosis of type two diabetes.”

To sponsor Pat, go to justgiving.com/fundraising/Pat-Scully.