A life-threatening health scare led to a Liskeard woman changing her life around and losing four stone.

Sally Hunt, 73, was rushed to hospital in August 2022 with a strangulated bowel. After years of suffering from a chronic bad back making her mobility challenging in addition to weighing 24 stone, her heart and kidneys were also failing.

After the hospitalisation, Ms Hunt resolved to change her life for the better with the help of her local leisure centre.

Five months later and thanks to a combination of diet and exercise in addition to a rebuilt bowel, she’s lost four stone and ‘couldn’t be happier’.

Ms Hunt achieved her success after visiting her local leisure centre, Liskeard Leisure Centre where she participates in a regular mix of fitness exercises and swimming which strengthens and tones her body.

She said: “I always thought of gym as boring but now I exercise every day but Sundays. It’s given me a new lease of life and makes me feel wonderful.

“I’ve found muscles I didn’t know I had, met new people and my clothes size is dropping all the time. My friends say I look years younger, and I’m so much more active.”

Exercise for Sally isn’t just restricted to solo sessions, either, as she’s discovered enjoyment of swimming with her grandsons while utilising her Cornwall Card. She continued: “I can take my six great grandsons swimming near where they live because the Cornwall Card gives me good reductions on admission prices. The centre staff at Liskeard look after me well and I’m keen to do more aerobic activities there this spring.

“I love being called a ‘gym bunny’ and my family are delighted with the new me. I really have got a new lease of life.”

James Curry, head of service for Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL) which operates public leisure centres on behalf of Cornwall Council, congratulated Ms Hunt on her success. He said: “The Cornwall Card is available free to people with a Cornish postcode. As Sally is more than proving, getting fitter can literally turn your life around and I heartily congratulate her on all that she’s achieving.”