Connaught workers from Dumfries and Galloway challenged themselves to lighten up for the summer in aid of local charity with a sponsored weigh-loss challenge - raising a hefty £580.

The team, usually seen working to deliver reactive repairs to Dumfries and Galloway Housing Partnership tenants, swapped office biscuits and cakes for fruit and healthy snacks to raise funds for the Dumfries and Galloway branch of Cash for Kids.

A healthy diet and regular exercise plan soon saw the pounds rolling off the workers and rolling in for charity. All nine members of the team were boosted by an office chart monitoring the group's weight loss and weekly goals; adding a competitive edge to the challenge.


Alan Hill, Billy Coupland, James Kerr, Michael Roberts, Margaret Kirk, Donna McLean, Donna Porter, Debbie Smith and Richard McCreadie smashed their team weight loss goal by losing an astonishing five stone within the five week challenge period.

Alan Hill, Connaught operations manager, said: "Cash for Kids is a fantastic charity which supports children facing financial, emotion and physical difficulties in our local community and Connaught is delighted to support them.

"Raising funds for such a worthwhile charity was a great motivator for all of the Connaught staff and we all worked together to complete the challenge and surpass our team target. Special mention must go to our service delivery manager Billy Coupland who lost an amazing 1st 5lbs in aid of children in the local community."

(GK/JM)