Confident slimmers in Sidmouth have shed the pounds to boost the fight against cancer - by donating £2,500 of unwanted clothes.

‘Overwhelmed’ staff and volunteers at Sidmouth’s Cancer Research UK shop received 92 bags of clothing from members of the town’s six Slimming World groups.

Consultants Jon Borowick and Harriet Steptoe took ‘several car fulls’ of the clothes to the Fore Street shop, as members almost quadrupled their contributions donated the previous year.

Jon said that the members’ collective weight loss in 2015 and their response to the project was a reason for the ‘phenomenal’ donation to increase from 25 to 92 bags.

“That’s down to members losing more weight and really getting behind it and rising to help cancer research,” said Jon. “They have become confident that they won’t need to get back into these clothes and can donate them.”

Last year, the group’s 180 to 200 members collectively dropped 603 stone.

Each bag, when measured, was worth £30 and added an additional 25pence if the donator selected gift aid.

Jon added: “It’s nice when they are that confident. It’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle change and they do not need these larger clothes.”

Slimming World has selected Cancer Research UK as its partner charity and last year groups across the UK raised £1.7million to fund a research laboratory.

The manager of the Sidmouth shop, Anne Strudwick, said: “It’s a bit overwhelming. It’s phenomenal. We are proud of them. We are very lucky that they are donating their stock to us within the Sidmouth area.”