They are used to losing pounds - but now slimmers have turned their attention to raising them to support a cancer charity.

Members of the Potters Bar Slimming World groups collected 121 bags of clothes that are now too big for them to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

Melanie Lambert, Nikki Crowhurst and Sarah Reader who run the weekly classes, encouraged people to collect old clothes and donate them to Cancer Research, in Darkes Lane, Potters Bar.

Ms Lambert said: “This has been a fantastic success and we were overwhelmed by the amount of bags our members managed to collect for Cancer Research UK – they really are amazing!

“It was a fantastic atmosphere in our groups and it was so rewarding to raise such a phenomenal amount of stock for such an incredible cause.

“It’s not just members of the group who have cleared out their wardrobes – we’ve had great support from the whole community. We are still buzzing from all the donations we’ve had.”

Each bag collected will raise £25 for the charity, meaning the Potters Bar slimmers raised more than £3,000.

They collected the bags under Cancer Research UK’s national fundraising campaign, Big Slimming World Clothes Show.

Gurpreet Singh, who manages the Cancer Research UK shop in Potters Bar, says: "We were thrilled to receive such a huge donation of clothing from the Potters Bar Slimming World groups.

“It’s wonderful to be able to help celebrate the amazing weight losses and the improvements to health that Slimming World members achieve.

“The fundraising partnership between Slimming World and Cancer Research UK has been hugely successful - as well as raising funds to help us bring forward the day 200 types of cancer are cured, it’s vital to raise awareness of how adopting healthy habits can help people reduce their risk of developing cancer."

Slimming World in Potters Bar meet on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. For more information visit www.slimmingworld.com