Thursday, 16th May 2019
A jubilant James Starkie was joined by 60 friends, family, representatives from Pendle Leisure Trust and the Mayors of Burnley and the Ribble Valley at the summit to congratulate him.
Since the beginning of January, the recently-retired Councillor for Higham & Pendleside has been on a mission to lose weight and shape up for the challenge he had set himself, with the help of a dedicated team of gym instructors from Pendle Leisure Trust.
He said: “It was a joyous day, and whilst whatever happened, I was always going to reach the top, the first few steps were the hardest. But once I got into the rhythm of the walk, taking just one step at a time, it was easier than I expected it to be! It was so good to see colleagues, family and friends at the top - it’s such a stunning place to be.”
Luke Allwood, Pendle Leisure Trust’s Health and Fitness Manager, added: “It was great to see him make it to the top - but I was always 100% confident he would do it – even when he doubted himself.
“It’s not been an easy journey and Mr Starkie did find it tough at times, but this challenge has helped him mentally, as well as physically. And he must have enjoyed it, because he has signed up to a full membership – not just for the exercise benefits, but for the social elements as well.”
Mr Starkie set himself four targets – to lose weight, help local children who need additional help with learning to swim, encourage other people to get fit and climb Pendle Hill by the end of his Mayoral year in May.
Over the last four months, he has overhauled his diet from unhealthy food and drink to healthier alternatives and attended regular gym sessions and fitness classes.
With the help of Pendle Leisure Trust’s fitness instructors, he has lost just short of two stones in weight and fourteen inches overall, and over £1,000 has been raised - with many pledges still coming in – to pay for a number of Year 6 Pendle primary school pupils to take part in crash courses to enable them to reach the national curriculum standard.
He said: “I understand whilst most children go swimming with school and learn successfully, there are a few that slip through the net for various reasons and need the extra lessons. Therefore, I wanted to raise money to help these children.”
If you'd still like to donate to Mr Starkie's cause, you can do so via his JustGiving page.
