A MOTHER-AND-DAUGHTER duo who helped each other shed the pounds are hoping to inspire others across Oxfordshire to embark on their own weight loss journeys.

Beverley Lapworth, of Rose Hill, and Kerry Callaghan, of Didcot, spurred each other on and each lost between 2.5st and 3st over the course of 2016.

Now the pair are determined to use their newfound knowledge of diet and exercise to help others by setting up new Slimming World sessions in Abingdon and Didcot.

Mrs Lapworth, 57, had piled on weight over several years after losing her husband Mark and working a job she did not enjoy at a bed and breakfast.

She said: "You get to the stage where you think, enough is enough. I went to Slimming World and was so impressed I introduced my daughter to it."

Over the course of 12 months Mrs Lapworth followed a very low-fat diet, eating large quantities of 'free' foods including fruit, vegetables and lean meats to shed 2.5st.

At the weekend she hosted her first Saturday morning Slimming World group, at Preston Road Community Centre in Didcot, as a 'consultant' supporting new members.

She said: "A year ago I felt fat, frumpy and awful. If you told me then I would be standing up in front of all these people then, I would have laughed."

For Mrs Callaghan, 38, a full-time mother living on the Ladygrove Estate, the realisation she needed to lose weight came 18 months after the birth of her son, Archie.

She said: "I started teaching choreography for the Abingdon Operatic Society and taking videos. I took them home and watched them and thought 'Oh my god, is that me?'.

"At the time I didn't have the confidence to go to a class so started online; it was really tricky. I spoke to my mum and got myself signed up with a group in Wallingford."

While sticking to the Slimming World food plan, which the whole family now follows, Mrs Callaghan also took up more exercise by going for walks with Archie.

She will begin coaching her own cohort of new starters at 9am on Saturday in Didcot Baptist Church, arriving to set up the site from 7am.

She said: "The look and feel of the place is really important. Some people really struggle with their weight and just going through the door is a huge thing."

In Oxfordshire it is estimated that about 60 per cent of adults are overweight or obese, and thousands have been referred to Slimming World by Oxfordshire County Council.

Mrs Callaghan added: "It was really nice to share the experience with Mum and it has definitely brought us closer together.

"You get so much support and friendship, and you are also treated like an adult. It's about you achieving what you want to achieve."

For information on either group call Mrs Lapworth on 07895 059079 or Mrs Callaghan on 07583 085780.