My Story

My journey

In the summer of 2022, weighing over 23 stone, I hit rock bottom.

Following a lifelong battle with my weight, I felt the ultimate shame and embarrasment on my nephew's Stag Do at Thorpe Park, when I was removed from a rollercoaster, because they could not secure the safety restraints over my frame.

I was in the worst physical and mental shape of my life and decided enough was enough.

In January 2023, I walked through the doors of my local Slimming World group and from that moment, I never looked back.

18 months on, I hit my target weight of 11 stone 8.5 lbs, achieiving a loss of 50% of my bodyweight, en-route achieving top 10 out of over 33,000 men in the 2024 national slimming world man of the year competition.

My life is now unrecognisable from when i started my journey back in January 2023.

Whilst Slimming World has been pivotal in providing the support and tools I needed to change my life, I put much of my transformation down to my focus and my new found love of running.

Back in January 2023, I could barely walk around the block with my dog and I had never been a runner before. As my weight dropped off, I started to slowly introduce exercise, and on Father's Day 2024, I decided to commit to running the Bournemouth 5k Race for Life for Cancer Research UK, in memory of my dad Dave and my dog Dave, both of whom passed away within weeks of each other only a couple of months earlier. On that day, I raised over £1,000 and ran my first sub-25 minute 5k.

Roll on another 8 months, and I have now completed 26 parkruns, with a personal best 5k time of 20:39 and took part in the Bournemouth Half Marathon clocking a time of 1 hour 45 minutes.

My journey did not stop there and having speculatively made an application to join the Slimming World team for the TCS London Marathon in April 2025, I was beyond excited when I received the call to confirm my place.

Completing that challenge on 27th April is now where my focus lies and, approaching half way through the 16 week training plan, I am pushing hard to achieve my target time of 3 hours 30 minutes.

In completing this challenge as part of the Slimming World team, I will be raising vital funds for Cancer Research UK, which is a cause very close to my heart after losing my Dad to cancer in 2024.

My target is £2,000 and anything you can donate towards this would be genuinely appreciated.

About Cancer Research UK

Cancer Research UK is one of the world's leading cancer research organizations. It is dedicated to funding and conducting groundbreaking research to understand, diagnose, and treat cancer. The charity works towards improving prevention, early detection, and treatment options, with a focus on reducing the number of cancer-related deaths.

Their work includes studying the biology of cancer, developing new therapies, and improving existing treatments. Cancer Research UK also works on public health campaigns, advocating for policies that promote cancer prevention. Additionally, they collaborate with global research institutions and provide resources for patients and their families.

The charity is funded through donations, fundraising events, and partnerships with other organizations.

About the London Marathon

The London Marathon has become an annual, inspiring and colourful fixture in the world’s sporting calendar since the inaugural race on 29 March 1981: a celebration of fun, fundraising and fancy dress.

Over the years more than a million people have completed the 26.2-mile course – which runs from Blackheath to The Mall, with a spectacular finish in front of Buckingham Palace, showcasing the very best that the capital city has to offer.

What’s more, these participants have raised over a billion pounds for charity and there have been countless amazing tales of human achievement throughout the event’s history – living up to its aim of helping participants ‘to have fun, and provide some happiness and sense of achievement in a troubled world’..