A big congratulations to Filament author Peter Allton and the team at Undefeeted and Circle Podiatry for their success at the SME Surrey Business Awards 2016!
For the second year in a row, Undefeeted retained their title for a second year as best Not for Profit Business or Organisation.
Podiatrist and co-founder of Undefeeted Peter Allton says: “We are so grateful to have been recognised once again and being given this honour means the world to us as it enhances our credibility on a global stage. Although based in the small town of Oxted, Undefeeted has always had a global vision and it has been rewarding this year to have been approached by different countries wanting to engage our services in educating their people 85% of diabetes-related amputations could be avoided – Oh Yes and by the way there’s one happening every 20 seconds!”
Undefeeted was also runner-up in the Entrepreneur of the Year category, with Circle Podiatry runner-up in the categories Employee of the Year and Service Excellence.
Imagine what it would be like to never be able to see your footprint in the sand or feel the sea splashing around your ankles, to not be able to play in the park with your kids or grandchildren. Maybe you would miss going to work or the gentle touch of your loved one as they brush their feet affectionately next to yours in the bed.
In the last week alone, these things have become reality for over 30,000 people who have had lower limb amputations simply because of the complications of diabetes. In the last year there were a whopping 1.6 million and every day as you put your socks and shoes on there are over 4300 more people who don’t need to.
London-based podiatrist Peter Allton says that 85% of these could be avoided. Critical to this is teaching people who have diabetes to manage their condition effectively.
This fact compelled Peter to write a book called Undefeeted by Diabetes in which he teaches people about the importance of foot health and what to do to stay safe. As someone who lives with Type 2 diabetes, Peter understands that education is vital to managing the condition.
“If someone with diabetes develops a foot ulcer, their survival chances are worse than those of someone with prostate or breast cancer. A person with a foot ulcer has an 80% chance of not surviving five years, compared to 18% and 40% respectively for a person with breast or prostate cancer.
“Diabetes can be extremely difficult to live with, especially if you don’t have the right information and strategies in place.”
When his daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of eleven Peter decided to take action, start the global campaign (http://www.undefeeted.org/) and promote good foot health for diabetes sufferers.
The book Undefeeted by Diabetes focuses on helping people with diabetes live in what Peter calls the ‘diabetic sweet spot’ the safest possible position for them. The ‘sweet spot’ refers to a combination of knowledge and awareness of their personal risk and taking appropriate action that helps them to live full and healthy lives.
The organisation aims to raise global awareness of the problem whilst interacting on a personal level with individuals to help them better manage their diabetes (types 1 and 2) and even reverse their type 2.
Undefeeted by Diabetes, written by Peter Allton and published by Filament Publishing, is available from Circle Podiatry, 316 Lewisham Road, London SE13 7PA, from Filament Publishing online shop, and www.undefeeted.org.
About Peter Allton
Peter Allton is the clinical director of Circle Podiatry (http://www.circlepodiatry.co.uk/), the UK;s only multi-award-winning podiatry brand. Peter runs podiatry practices in Lewisham, South London and Oxted, Surrey, assisted by his wife, practice manager Tina Allton. As a podiatrist, his life’s work has been fixing people’s feet and lower limbs. He is also the founder of Undefeeted, a global campaign, powered by Circle Podiatry, which aims to reduce the number of avoidable diabetes-related lower limb amputations.
After spending 13 years working in community and hospital clinics for the NHS in the UK, Peter set up his private practise in 2001: Circle Podiatry. He qualified as a podiatrist in 1988 and has treated more than 200,000 feet.
In 2005, his wife Tina left her teaching career to become practice manager and has become a driving force behind the success of Circle Podiatry. Together they have led their team to win numerous awards and become the UK’s only multi-award-winning podiatry brand.
Peter has always been aware of the importance of diabetes when treating feet, especially since he was diagnosed with Type 2 in 2010. But it was his daughter’s diagnosis with Type 1 at the age of 11 that changed the emphasis of his career forever. He realised that he was probably the only podiatrist in the world with Type 2 and a daughter with Type 1 and he has since made it his mission to do something about the horrific diabetes statistics.
Every 20 seconds, somewhere in the world, a person with diabetes is undergoing a lower limb amputation. It is estimated that 85% of these could be avoided. It is Peter’s vision that by 2035 the Undefeeted campaign will help to cut that number by two thirds to one per minute.