Claire Vine was just five years old when doctors diagnosed her with Type 1 diabetes. They told her parents her future would be limited.
Vine proved them wrong. She went to college. She went to university. She became a nurse. She had two children. Diabetes never stopped her.
Now she helps teenagers do the same.
Vine works as Head of Specialist Services for community health in mid and south Essex at Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT). She manages the South East Essex Community Diabetes Service, which cares for around 3,000 patients in areas like Southend, Rochford, Benfleet, Hadleigh, Thundersley and Canvey.
She created the Growing Up Sweet project with colleague Laurence Chester. The one-year project ran from April 2024 to April 2025. It reached 50 young people with Type 1 diabetes and their parents or carers.
Instead of classroom talks, sessions took place at fun spots. They climbed trees at Go Ape in Chelmsford. They played golf, pool and darts at Bunker 19 in Southend.
The goal was clear: show teens how to manage blood sugar during everyday activities.
Topics covered exercise, driving, alcohol, diet and carbohydrate counting. Sessions mixed online and in-person formats. Two young patients helped design and deliver the classes.
The project also smoothed the move from children’s hospital care to adult community services – a stressful time for many teens.
Now, specialists from both children’s and adult teams attend clinics for 14- to 19-year-olds. Patients can bring a friend for support.
Vine won recognition for Growing Up Sweet at the Queen’s Institute of Community Nursing awards on 28 November.
She said diabetes has never held her back. She wants the same freedom for the teens she serves.
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