Many thanks to local resident Chloe Ramsbottom for submitting this article. Chloe is celebrating after losing three stone in lockdown!

"I have suffered with my weight since my early 20's and have tried various diets, none of which have succeeded and then in summer after feeling the effects of lock down and putting even more weight on, I stumbled across a Facebook advert from one of my local Slimming World consultants offering a 12 week free programme supported by the NHS. "I thought, what can I lose its free, it might work – it didn't just work it changed my life! "My consultant has been supportive, as have my group and at first when I said I just wanted to lose a stone, Paula said you can achieve anything you want to with Food Optimising. "I am now 3 stone lighter. The group is invaluable for sharing ideas, tips and motivation and are so supportive especially on those weeks where I haven't seen the results I wanted. "Food Optimising has changed my eating habits, its fantastic for fitting in with my family life and is so easy to follow with amazing results. I have been on holidays too and even managed to loose weight giving me the confidence for the future. "No food is off limits and I have lost weight eating full English breakfasts, curries and chillies with a few small changes to the way that I cook them and I've also enjoyed in measured amounts chocolate, crisps, whilst enjoying glasses of wine and cocktails! "Body Magic is great too, I have always enjoyed walking, but now I have something to aim for, I am walking more and more, I love the way it makes me feel being in the fresh air, its great for my mental health and supporting my healthy weight loss, it's a win win. "I am now so happy now with what I see in the mirror, I have dropped 3 dress sizes and have reached my target weight, I also won our local group's 'Miss Slinky' for my achievements. "I am enjoying shopping for new clothes and finally enjoy going into a changing room, something I would have avoided previously. I feel confident when I go on nights out with my family and friends and the lovely comments I receive from people too are lovely to hear and make me feel very proud of what I have achieved. "I am confident in the slimmer me for the future, I find Food Optimising so easy to follow that I don't need to fall back into any bad habits, this is my food plan for life. I must admit, if somebody had told me in June that by November, I would have lost 3 stone and 3 dress sizes, I would never have believed them. I cannot wait to wear my new figure-hugging Christmas dress this year. "I know everybody says it, but If I can do it, anybody can do it! It's amazing what you can achieve with the help and support of the group to guide you through life's obstacles. "My group opens at 9.30am on January 7th at Butt Lane community Centre, Lower Ash Road in Kidsgrove and I cannot wait to inspire other people to feel how I feel and I am so proud to help the local people of Kidsgrove and surrounding area who may have struggled with their weight in lockdown or all their life, I know what it feels like and how hard it can be, but change is just around the corner. "Come and have a brew with us and find out what it's all about." The group details are:

Chloe's Slimming World Group (new group, everybody welcome)

Fridays @ 9.30am

Butt Lane Community Centre

Lower Ash Road, Kidsgrove

ST7 1DG

Don't forget to sign up to our newsletter below to get the top 10 Biddulph stories of the week delivered straight to your inbox every Friday! No click-bait. No intrusive ads. Just news about Biddulph.