The Lions Club of Blue Lake City Lioness will take part in the national Lions Lap the Map for Diabetes event to raise awareness of diabetes in the lead up to World Diabetes Day on November 14.

Tomorrow and Saturday club members will offer free glucose and blood sugar testing 11am-3pm at Mount Gambier Central.

Lions Club of Blue Lake City Lioness immediate past president Janet Bellinger said there would be a medical alert dog in training in attendance which people can pat.

“The ladies from our club will be there to talk to you, but we have a little dog who possibly will be a medical alert dog and his name is Gumpy,” she said.

“Some time ago we purchased a little dog for the Lions in Hahndorf where they train the little dogs and they are medical alert.

“They scent and they can tell the person is having a high or a low and it can be 15 minutes before whatever they are wearing tells them.

“Our little dog is called Nessie and this one is Gumpy and they’re brother and sister so you can come along and pat that one.”

Next Monday the club encourages community members to make a small donation and walk for diabetes from 9am at the Limestone Coast Pantry with raffle tickets for sale.

All proceeds will go toward diabetes research and the Australian Lions Medical Alert Dog program.

“If they count their steps and record it and bring it back to the pantry, we will take note of all the steps and we will send them off to the Lions Club and they will see if we have actually with all the Lions Club lapped the map of Australia,” Ms Bellinger said.

“People can walk either way on the Railway Lands as long as they like, all we need to know is they give us a donation for that and let us know how many steps they did.