Justin Tomlinson MP with Slimming Consultant Heather and Swindon Mayor Ray Ballman
Justin Tomlinson MP today joined members of the Taw Hill Slimming World group to support the launch of their ‘Let’s Beat Obesity Together’ community weight loss campaign.
The ‘Let’s Beat Obesity Together’ campaign is bringing together Slimming World groups from all over the UK and Ireland to help turn the rising tide of obesity in a 12-week weight loss challenge. In Swindon, obesity rates currently run at 27% in adults and 16.7% in year 6 aged children.
Obesity is bad news for the whole community. First and foremost, it means personal unhappiness, low self worth and increased risk of weight-related illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer for all of those people struggling to manage their weight. It affects families, schools, and of course it puts pressure on our local health service and on employers in terms of lost working days.
Obesity and especially childhood obesity is an issue that Justin has campaigned on in Parliament, speaking in debates about the importance of sport and healthy eating.
Justin met with members and tried some of the delicious food members had brought in to share with each other recipes for healthy food that makes weight loss both satisfying and enjoyable. This included a spicy chickpea dip and ‘syn free’ cheese scones.
Taw Hill is one of 29 groups in Swindon taking part in the challenge. Each group picks a local charity and does a sponsored weight loss in support of that charity. At the end of the year, the group that has lost the most weight out of any in the country receives £500 for their charity. In the past the group in Taw Hill have been supporting the local Food Bank.
Justin Tomlinson MP said “The growing rate of obesity is an issue of real concern in Parliament at the moment. I speak regularly on the need to tackle it by promoting sport in the community to get our kids active and the importance of healthy eating. The group in Taw Hill are an excellent example of how we as individuals can take action on obesity, working together to meet our own goals. Losing weight can be hard work and the support the group provides is fantastic.”
