Diabetes diagnoses crept up on Chris Longthorp, a retired pharmaceutical industry worker living in St Ives, before he joined a pioneering health initiative in south-west Cornwall.
Participants in the WellFed project receive free weekly vegetable boxes alongside access to group cooking and gardening sessions. The Guardian reported that more than 100 patients with type 2 diabetes and prediabetes have taken part across 20 sites in Cornwall.
Medical professionals developed the scheme to address areas of deprivation and high prediabetes rates in the region. GPs from more than 20 surgeries put forward patients for the pilot, which is delivered by Volunteer Cornwall and funded by Cornwall council public health and the NHS in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
“We spend so much of our time treating disease and illness but this is about creating health,” Dan Rainbow, a St Ives GP, told The Guardian.
HbA1c Levels Drop into Prediabetic Range
The intervention targets glycated hemoglobin, known clinically as HbA1c, which measures average blood glucose levels over a three-month window. Diabetes UK defines an HbA1c reading over 48 mmol/mol as diagnostic for diabetes, carrying long-term risks of microvascular complications affecting the eyes, kidneys, and peripheral nerves.
Preliminary impact data collected by the Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations showed notable physiological shifts. Average participant HbA1c levels dropped from the diabetic range into the prediabetic range over the course of the intervention.
Longthorp, 74, said his HbA1c level dropped from 50 to 42 since joining the programme. Michael Waller, a 64-year-old former clay worker attending sessions at Chaos farm on the Roseland peninsula, reported that his HbA1c fell from 64 to 47.
Mike May, a 68-year-old retired engineer in Porthtowan, recorded a drop from 78 to 43, attributing the change to the project combined with other medical interventions.
Dietary Changes Lower Average Blood Sugar Levels
- HbA1c Reduction: Dietary modifications focused on high-fiber, low-glycemic foods can significantly lower three-month average blood sugar levels, moving patients out of high-risk diabetic ranges.
Dietary Shifts in St Ives Community Kitchens
Throughout their lives, many participants maintained traditional eating habits rich in refined carbohydrates and saturated fats. Johanna Evans, an 85-year-old retired shop owner in St Ives, spent decades enjoying raw fry, a local Cornish one-pan dish of bacon, potatoes, and onions fried in lard.
During a chop and chat session at the St Ives Community Orchard, Evans worked alongside five others to massage Swiss chard leaves, dice carrots, and mix lentils into a low-GI, high-fiber shepherd’s bake. The week prior, the group prepared a bento box featuring sprouted beans, edamame, shredded sprouts, and sesame.
“I never thought I’d eat anything like that,” Evans told The Guardian. Traceyl Lyne, a 67-year-old childminder from Truro attending sessions on the Roseland peninsula, described transitioning away from microwaved meals toward fresh vegetable boxes.
Lyne also highlighted the physical activity component of the project, referring to the community garden as a green gym where participants push wheelbarrows, stretch, and dig. “I was eating a lot of chocolate, ice cream and flapjack. At the farm it's all vegetables and salad and peas and beans, pulses,” Michael Waller, a 64-year-old former clay worker, said.
| Participant | Location | Initial HbA1c (mmol/mol) | Recent HbA1c (mmol/mol) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Longthorp | St Ives | 50 | 42 |
| Michael Waller | Roseland peninsula | 64 | 47 |
| Mike May | Porthtowan | 78 | 43 |
UK Health Chiefs Monitor Cornwall Pilot
Health chiefs in other parts of the UK continue to monitor the Cornwall pilot to determine whether to replicate the model nationally.
References
- Diabetes UK.
- A preliminary impact report carried out by the Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations is encouraging. WellFed Preliminary Impact Report.
