Generous slimmers have raised over £18,000 for charity after donating 'before' clothes from their wardrobes.

Eastern Daily Press: Slimming World consultants at the Waveney and Great Yarmouth collection point in Wrentham. Picture: Liz Sunderland.Slimming World consultants at the Waveney and Great Yarmouth collection point in Wrentham. Picture: Liz Sunderland. (Image: Archant)

The Waveney and Great Yarmouth Slimming World groups collected 734 bags of the clothes, shoes and accessories to recycle in the The Big Slimming World Clothes Throw on Friday.

And with each bag worth around £25 to Cancer Research UK, members have raised about £18,350 for the cause.

Claire Johnston, a member who has lost 6st 5lbs since September 2016, said: 'It felt amazing to donate all of my old clothes – liberating in fact! Bagging them up and saying goodbye was like a celebration of just how far I've come. Not only do I feel like a new person, now I dress like one too and love going into a shop and choosing whatever I like.

'Cancer Research UK is a fantastic charity and it's great to know that the money raised from my donated items will help support life-saving research.'

The Big Slimming World Clothes Throw aims to increase awareness of how keeping a healthy weight helps reduce the risk of developing some types of cancer.

The event has been supported by singer Peter Andre, who is a joint ambassador for the campaign and founder of his own Cancer Research UK fund after losing his brother to cancer.

He thanked the generosity of local members and said: 'The clothes throw is a fantastic opportunity for members to celebrate their weight losses, because they know that with the fantastic food optimising healthy eating plan along with the support they get in their groups, they'll never need to see those sizes again.'

Last year, the event raised £2.1m across the UK and this year they hope to reach £3m.

A spokesman for the Waveney and Great Yarmouth groups, said: 'This year's clothes throw has been a fantastic success, and we can't believe just how many bags our members, their friends and families have managed to collect.

'Our groups are always buzzing and when we collected the bags up and saw what a phenomenal amount there were altogether, and we realised what a difference we could make, the atmosphere was just electric.'