A CWMBRAN Slimming World member who has lost more than six stones is starting her own group to inspire others.

Helen Jones has lost 6st 2lbs after joining Slimming World in Cwmbran 23 months ago.

Now, after successfully reaching her target goal, she has been inspired to take on her own group to help others with their weight loss journeys.

Her group will be starting on Monday at 7.30pm at Llanyravon Primary School.

Mrs Jones suffered with depression for nine years and said she used to comfort eat on crisps and chocolate in the evenings.

Since joining the group in October 2011, Mrs Jones dropped from a clothes size 24 and weighing 17st 2lbs to a size 12 and weighing 11st.

Before joining the group she would skip breakfast, snack on crisps and chocolate and her evening meal would be pie and chips.

Now she has cut bread from her diet, eats scrambled egg for breakfast, snacks on fruit and her evening meal is chilli and rice or spaghetti Bolognese.

Mrs Jones also started exercising at the gym, and is happy that she can enjoy going for long walks with her daughter and playing a game of netball.

She said: “We all have our ups and downs on our journeys but we are always there for each other and find great strength as a group to encourage each other every step of the way. Our group is my second family.”

She went on to win Slimmer of the Week and Slimmer of the Month a number of times during her journey, and also won Greatest Loser 2013, Woman of the Year 2013 and Miss Slinky 2013 all within her group.