Landmark Group's Eighth Beat Diabetes Walk to Combine Education with Entertainment

• Fun-filled Day Out with Family and Friends
• Free Glucose Level Testing, Healthy Living Tips at Venue
• Fitness Zone and Sports Zone to encourage families to Get Active

Dubai-UAE: 17 November, 2016:  Landmark Group, the region’s leading retail and hospitality conglomerate, is gearing up to host its eighth Beat Diabetes Walk on Friday, 18 November, 2016 at Zabeel Park in Dubai. Joining hands to support the walk and educate the community about the condition are Government partners Dubai Municipality, Dubai Sports Council, Hamdan Bin Mohammed Community Sports Initiative and Dubai Health Authority (DHA), and strategic partners, Emirates Diabetes Society and Al Jalila Foundation. 

According to International Diabetes Foundation, 415 million people worldwide have diabetes, with the MENA region alone accounting for 35.4 million. It is of particular concern that the UAE has more than one million diagnosed cases of diabetes, and over 387,000 cases as yet undiagnosed. Unmanaged diabetes can affect the heart and blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, nerves and teeth. In addition, people with diabetes also have a higher risk of developing infections, and can potentially develop cardiovascular disease, blindness, kidney failure, and lower limb amputation.

For almost a decade, Landmark Group has been keenly involved in educating the public about diabetes and healthy living, besides raising funds towards supporting diabetes research, awareness and education through its outlets. Nisha Jagtiani, Executive Director of Landmark Group said: “At Landmark Group, we are always looking at ways to create a better life for the community. Diabetes is one of the priority areas of national concern, and we believe that as a leading retailer in the region, we have a contributory role to play in helping to better manage this lifestyle condition. Landmark Group has raised AED 4 million through its stores across the board for diabetes management and contributed a further AED10 million to fund diabetes research.”

“Through our year-round community outreach programmes and social media activations, we reach out to 12 million people in the region, including five million in the UAE. We have so far engaged with 35,000 people via the walk, and encouraged more than 250,000 people to undergo blood glucose testing for diabetes. In addition, we are partnering with 70 corporates and 50 schools, involving them in spreading the important message of leading a healthy lifestyle,” she added. 

Join the fundraising drive which is taking place at Landmark Group’s retail outlets across the UAE. Customers have the option of donating to the cause by adding AED5 or multiples of five to their total shopping bill, which will be recorded through an internal barcode mechanism to tabulate each contribution. Funds will be donated to Al Jalila Foundation to raise funds for diabetes research and healthcare in the UAE.

The eighth edition of the Beat Diabetes Walk, held on 18 November, will start at Gate 3, Zabeel Park. Walkers can look forward to a fun-filled day out with families and friends, while supporting a noble initiative. 

A host of community-centric fitness and sports activities will await the participants, including zumba, yoga, throw-ball, bubble soccer and archery, conducted by Home Centre, Fitness First, Jump Boxx, Allied Transport Services, Max, Mashreq, Super Care, Kibsons, Janssen, Sunblast, Fun City, NAB Middle East, iCare, Dubai Health Authority (DHA) and Supercare. In addition, there will be a photo booth and balloon release, with a Kids Zone that boasts of bouncy castles, rodeo bull, wall climbing and other exciting activities.

From 9:30am to 4:00 pm, participants will be able to avail of free glucose testing facilities provided at the venue, while DHA, the event’s health partner, takes them through the various aspects of diabetes management. Cooking sessions hosted by experts will also offer practical and healthy alternatives to popular food items.

The walk is further supported by Standard Chartered Bank, GBM, Cisco, Mashreq Bank, Aramex, ATC, Cognizant and BVM and in partnership with Centrepoint, Home Centre, Max, Fun City, Splash and Fitness First. 

To stay updated on the Beat Diabetes Walk and related activities, please follow Beat Diabetes on social media handles: 

• Facebook www.facebook.com/beatdiabetes 
• Instagram - beat.diabetes and 
• Twitter - @beatdiabetes 

Snapshot of Beat Diabetes Walk 2016: