An oil and gas boss who suffers from diabetes is aiming to raise £750,000 to help find a cure for the condition.
Peter Jones, who is managing director of Taqa in Europe, has taken over as chairman of JDRF, an international charity for type one diabetes which has its Scottish HQ in Aberdeen.
Mr Jones, who was diagnosed with the disease five years ago, said managing the incurable condition was like “walking a tightrope”.
He has to carefully monitor his blood sugar levels and has to test himself five times a day.
“Early on in diagnosis, it can feel quite oppressive,” he said.
“You quickly develop a regime testing blood, having to count carbohydrates and sugar to guesstimate how much you are eating and calculate what impact that will have and how much insulin you have to inject.”
Mr Jones, who was 37 when he was diagnosed with type one diabetes, said he “wrestled” with facing a 15-year reduction in his lifespan, a further side effect associated with the condition.
But it was the difficulties children and parents faced which spurred him on to raise money for JRDF.
He said: “As an adult you adapt, you know what not to eat, what exercise to do, how it affects you. You learn that trial and error quite quickly.
“But a parent of a child with type one diabetes can test blood every two hours through the night because they worry they could go into a diabetic coma.
“It humbled me how parents cope with that burden day in and day out.”
Scotland is thought to have the third highest incidence of the autoimmune disorder in the world, and no one yet knows why.
JRDF funds research in Scotland to combat and potentially find a cure got the disease.
With its base in Aberdeen, the charity has enjoyed the support of the oil and gas industry in recent years.
On September 27 the charity will hold its annual One Walk – a family-oriented 5K at Drum Castle, sponsored by Wood Group and catering firm Entier, which provides lunch.
Last year there were 1,100 walkers and the event raised more than £180,000.
Mr Jones admits the prospect of raising hundreds of thousands of pounds will prove challenging as Aberdeen’s offshore sector struggles to grapple with falling oil prices – but he believes this may even help the charity’s aims.
“To be honest there is probably never been a better time,” he said.
“There’s nothing like looking to support people who are dealing with more difficult circumstances themselves.
“That’s what helped me when I was first diagnosed.”