A DIABETES event was hosted in parliament by Copeland's MP Jamie Reed.

The MP - a type 1 diabetic - took part in the event on behalf of diabetes charity Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

JDRF funds research into preventing, treating and curing type 1 diabetes as well as supporting people living with the condition and their families.

Mr Reed's event brought families living with diabetes together with researchers, funders and medical practitioners for the launch of 'Type 1 Research Today', a report by JDRF.

The report reveals that seven funders have committed funding to tackle the condition, amounting to £97m in the UK.

Copeland's MP, whose 10-year-old son was recently diagnosed with the condition, ran the London Marathon to raise funds for JDRF.

He said: "Two weeks before the 2010 General Election, aged 36, I didn't know that I was an undiagnosed type 1 diabetic entering diabetic ketoacidosis (a potentially life-threatening complication of diabetes caused by a lack of insulin).

"The NHS saved my life, but I know that type 1 diabetes needs to be better understood. People with the condition require a much better service than the one we currently receive and we must find a cure.

"That's why I support the invaluable work undertaken by JDRF, why I will continue to champion the cause in Parliament, and why I would encourage anyone to contact their MP to ask them to do the same."

Type 1 diabetes affects about 400,000 people in the UK, including 29,000 children.