SLIMMING World consultants from across Carlisle are celebrating the organisation’s 50th birthday by welcoming its Golden Bus to the city.

With a combined total of five decades’ experience, the area’s weight loss experts have helped numerous men and women across north Cumbria shed pounds and get healthy.

Now they are getting together in Carlisle city centre to celebrate 50 years of Slimming World and spread the word about their work.

The Golden Bus is currently touring the UK, stopping off at destinations along the way. It will be in Carlisle city centre on Thursday, August 1 from 10am until 5pm.

Denise Broughton lost three-and-a-half stones with Slimming World before training to become a consultant herself. She is now team leader for the west of Carlisle area.

She said everyone is excited that Carlisle has been chosen to host the bus during its high-profile tour.

“Getting the bus in Carlisle is absolutely fabulous for the whole Cumbria district,” she said.

“Our teams have worked so hard to help members with their weightloss journeys. We will now be reaching out to all those people who maybe still don’t know about Slimming World but may need our help.”

“We’ve all tried diets and everything has its place, but this is about proper food. It’s a lifestyle choice.”

All those visiting the bus will have a chance to meet inspirational members who have lost considerable amounts of weight, see chefs cooking up Slimming World dishes and handing out recipe cards, enter competitions and pick up goody bags.

Denise is urging anyone who wants to lose weight but doesn’t know where to start, or who has tried other diets without success, to go along and meet them.

“We’ve all been through it ourselves so we understand everything - not just the practical things but also the emotions. How hard it is to walk into a group for the first time. We’ve been there,” she said.