By Margaret Sheard ….
Slimmers World, which meets every Saturday morning at Sartaj Restaurant in Catalkoy, is not just a group of people trying to lose weight.
It is a group which has a very sociable outlook and they have not only become friends but give each other much support. Val Stuart-Traynor who leads the group has set up a Facebook Messenger group page and the members can contact each other if they feel the need to contact someone when being tempted to stray from their diet or just to have a chat.
On Saturday 23rd March it was decided to have a get-together for lunch at Lord’s Palace in Girne and we were asked if we would like to join them, as we did on a previous occasion. There were 16 members of the slimming club present enjoying the superb buffet, which offers a vast selection of hot and cold foods and wonderful desserts. The occasion was also an excuse to celebrate the recent 65th birthdays of Val Stuart-Traynor on 14th March and Kate Bell on 7th March.
Val had her birthday celebration with her husband at Lord’s Palace and was given very special treatment.
Kate had a surprise in store which had been arranged by her sister, friend Jo and another sister who had come from the UK.
Unbeknown to Kate they had packed clothes, passport and spending money (they had thought of everything she would need) and a taxi arrived to take them to Larnaca for a few days from Thursday 7th to Saturday 9th March. Kate had no idea this had been arranged and she thoroughly enjoyed the surprise. A party had also been arranged at the Stone Castle in Esentepe on the Saturday evening and there was some concern that she would not be there, but Kate arrived back from Larnaca on Saturday afternoon and so had another birthday celebration that evening. No doubt she will remember her 65th birthday with fond memories.
The group meet at Sartaj Restaurant at 10am every Saturday so if anyone would like to join them for weight loss and a social occasion, please contact Val on 0542 855 1219. On 30th March it will be a half price fee to join as a new member and also for those who would like to re-join.
There is to be a grand raffle for Easter and I did manage to get together some bits and pieces to contribute to this, so if anyone has some nice unwanted items stored away, the slimming group would be pleased to take them off your hands for their raffle. All surplus money raised within the group is shared as a donation between Kyrenia Animal Rescue (KAR) and Hope 4 Pets, so as well as being a great social/slimming group, the members also help the street and stray/abandoned dogs and cats of North Cyprus.
