Helping others
Local slimmers donate clothes to charity
They are used to losing hundreds of pounds but now big-hearted slimmers in Blairgowrie have turned their attention to raising them.
Members of the Blairgowrie Slimming World group have collected 130 bags of clothes they’ve successfully slimmed out of to raise money for Cancer Research UK as part of the national fundraising campaign, the ‘Big Slimming World Clothes Throw’.
And with each bag worth around £25 to the charity, slimmers in Blairgowrie could have raised around £3,250 for the charity.
Rachel Stallard, who runs the group, which meets every week at Blairgowrie Bowling Club, encouraged members, their friends and families to collect the clothes, shoes and accessories they no longer need to generate stock for the Blairgowrie Cancer Research UK shop.
Rachel said: “The members never fail to amaze me with their weight loss results week after week and it has been great to see so many bags of clothes donated through the Big Slimming World Clothes Throw.
“It was a fantastic atmosphere in the group and so rewarding to raise such a phenomenal amount of stock for such an incredible cause.
“And it’s not just members of the group who have cleared out their wardrobes – we’ve had great support from the whole community.”
Rachel added: “Because my members are so sure they’ll never need their ‘big’ clothes again, when I told them about the Big Slimming World Clothes Throw they couldn’t wait to donate them to charity.
“The Clothes Throw is a perfect opportunity for all of us to celebrate our success, inspire other people and raise money for charity at the same time.
“There is also a more serious side to our support for Cancer Research UK however one in two people are diagnosed with some form of cancer during their lifetime, and being overweight can increase the chance of developing the disease.
“It is vital we spread the message that healthy eating, being physically active and losing weight by adopting healthy habits all help reduce the risk of developing cancer.”
Wendy Byrd-Meldrum, manager of the Blairgowrie Cancer Research UK shop, said she was thrilled to receive such a huge donation of clothing from the groups.
She said: “We have been working with Rachel for three years now and she is absolutely phenomenal. ”