Slimming groups in Blyth, Newbiggin, Cramlington, and Holywell donate £5,000-worth of clothes that are now too big

Weight loss organisation Slimming World organised a donation drive encouraging members of their groups to hand in clothes that no longer fit due to their weight loss efforts.

211 bags were collected as a result, which will raise an estimated £5,275 when sold in Cancer Research UK charity shops.

Blyth and Holywell based Slimming World consultant Leanne Mavin-Brennand, who helped organise the drive in the area alongside fellow consultants Fi Warren, Jill Rutherford, and Jill Heslop, said: “It is quite cathartic to let go of the past and move on.

“We always say if you keep your clothes that you slimmed out of you are almost giving yourself permission to put weight back on and get back into them. We do not want to feel like that.

“It is letting go of that and raising money for a really good cause at the same time.”

Being overweight can be a contributing factor to an increased risk of developing cancer.

Leanne added: “A huge thank you to all of our members for their generosity in raising money to help research for a cure for cancer.

“It just shows you how much weight people have lost.

“It is just a good way of helping people and also a good way for members to feel like they have moved on. It is a sense of achievement for them.”