Rickinghall and Roydon slimmers’ losses are charity’s gain

Members of a pair of weight-loss groups have donated clothes to a charity shop they have ‘slimmed’ out of.

The Rickinghall and Roydon Slimming World Groups have collected 30 bags of clothes, in a bid to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

Knowing they’ll never need their ‘before’ clothes again, when I told my group about the campaign they couldn’t wait to take part

The clothes will be donated to the Thetford Cancer Research UK shop.

Amanda Frost, a weight loss consultant who runs the Rickinghall group, encouraged members, their friends and families to spring-clean their wardrobes and collect the clothes, shoes and accessories that no longer fit them to generate valuable stock for the store.

The group, which meets every Monday at Rickinghall village hall and have lost 107 stone since January this year, were taking part in the organisation’s national fundraising campaign, the Big Slimming World Clothes Throw. Last year the initiative raised £1.7m for Cancer Research UK, and this year the organisation aims to raise £2m for the charity.

“This year’s Big Clothes Throw has been a fantastic success, and I can’t believe just how many bags my members, their friends and families have managed to collect for Cancer Research UK,” she said. “It’s been so rewarding and I’m so proud to help pull together such a phenomenal amount of stock for such a worthwhile cause.

“Knowing they’ll never need their ‘before’ clothes again, when I told my group about the campaign they couldn’t wait to take part.

“Not only is the Clothes Throw a perfect opportunity for all of us to celebrate our slimming success, it is also vital we spread the message that keeping a healthy weight could reduce the risk of developing ten different types of cancer.

“This is why Slimming World chose Cancer Research UK as our national charity partner. We really hope our bag collection will help to increase understanding of how weight affects cancer risk.”

She continued: “My group sessions are always buzzing and when we collected the bags up the atmosphere was incredible.

“My members have seen stunning weight losses simply by making small changes to the way they shop, cook and eat, and by taking steps to become more active. But the best thing about our group is the caring support members give to each other, spurring each other along and sharing recipes and tips every week.”

For more information on the Rickinghall group, which meets every Monday at 5.30pm and 7.30pm at the village hall, visit www.slimmingworld.co.uk or call 01379 652087