A TEN-year-old from Fishguard has set her knitting needles on a fund-raising mission for Diabetes UK Cymru in memory her much-missed cousin.

Freya Rands is knitting colourful hats, scarves, headbands and mittens in memory of her cousin Liam Jones.

Liam was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was 20 months old. In 2016, at the age of 21, he died after falling ill with Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA), a life-threatening condition requiring urgent medical attention.

Signs of DKA can include high blood glucose levels, thirst, frequently going to the toilet, feeling tired or lethargic, blurry vision, nausea or vomiting, and collapse.

Freya has been knitting for a year and sells her wares for between £2 and £5 per item at her parent's fish and chip shop Hooked@31 in Fishguard. It takes her between an hour and two days to complete each piece.

"My nan taught me how to knit and I really enjoy it," said Freya.

"I decided to knit for Diabetes UK Cymru because I want everyone to remember my cousin Liam and to help people to understand what Type 1 diabetes is.

"I've sold lots of knitted goodies so far and I have to knit really fast now because people keep buying them. I love being able to donate money to Diabetes UK Cymru and it makes me happy that I am doing this for Liam."

People with type 1 diabetes don't produce the hormone insulin, which is responsible for controlling the amount of glucose in the blood. Nobody knows what causes Type 1 diabetes and it isn't currently preventable.

"We're so grateful to Freya for the time and effort she has taken to knit her goodies, helping us to raise funds and awareness that will help others living with diabetes in Wales, and their families," said Joseph Cuff, Fundraising Manager at Diabetes UK Cymru. "It's inspiring to see someone so young making such a great effort to celebrate her cousin's life and we wish Freya the best of luck with her fundraising.

"Every penny raised will help us to support the millions of people living with diabetes in the UK so please pop in and help Freya to reach her fundraising goal by buying one of her knitted treats!"

To find out more about Diabetes UK Cymru's Know Type 1 campaign visit:https://www.diabetes.org.uk/in_your_area/wales/campaigning/know-type-1---wales.