CATERERS and restaurant owners made sure slimming club members could enjoy a festive feast - but without gaining an ounce.

Staff at Dayer's Fine Foods, on Chineham Business Park, cooked a special low-calorie Christmas dinner for the members of Slimmers World.

There was no dressing on the vegetables served with the turkey and the potatoes were dry roasted without using oil.

And although the dessert was cherry strudel, Christmas pudding or chocolate log, the low-calorie ingredients guaranteed no unwanted weight gain.

Tucking into the celebration dinner was Phillipa Charlton, 32, from Richards Field in Chineham. She was voted the Miss Slinky of the Chineham branch of Slimmers World and will go forward to the national finals.

Community nurse Faith Howard took over the franchise of Slimmers World in Chineham when it had only 14 members and she wanted to lose weight.

Since 2000, Mrs Howard has lost over three stone and gained a membership that now stands at 65 people.

Just how much the Slimming World members are true to their regime will be known after Christmas when they weigh-in at their regular Thursday evening meeting at Christ Church hall on the Old Reading Road in Chineham.