SLIMMERS in Basingstoke have helped raise nearly £17,000 for charity by donating the clothes that no longer fit them.

Slimming World members throughout the Basingstoke area were last month encouraged to go through their wardrobes and pick out anything that was not too big for them after losing weight.

The clothes were then put into bags and donated as part of the national Slimming World campaign.

In total the groups in Basingstoke collected 565 bags and raised £16,950 – as £30 is given to Cancer Research UK for every bag collected - plus gift aid. 

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Basingstoke Gazette: Slimming World consultants with some of the bags of donated clothes from members in BasingstokeNatalie Garner, who is the consultant at groups in Popley and Viables, said: “We were absolutely blown away by the generosity of our members. They are also really proud of their efforts."

Natalie, who has lost eight stone, added: “If members are losing weight what tends to happen is that their clothes don’t fit anymore, so they will get bundled up in bags and taken to the collection points to be donated.”

Bags were collected at Tesco in Chineham and at The Food Warehouse in Brighton Hill Retail Park.