AN ANDOVER gratitude campaigner has been given a boost in her bid to get fit and raise money for charity.

Manuela Wahnon is currently on a mission to lose 24 pounds by 15 August.

She has combined her weight loss challenge with a sponsorship campaign for Andover Foodbank.

The Rack Close resident, who is best known for her “Attitude of Gratitude” and litter picking campaigns, has already shed a stone in under four weeks.

In doing so she has raised over £500 for the charity.

But Manuela is now hoping to drop the remaining nine pound and has recently been given a boost in her efforts after Valley Leisure agreed to support her cause.

The charity, which runs both Andover Leisure Centre and the Romsey Rapids, have agreed to give Manuela five weeks of free access to all of their facilities.

The condition is that she trains for one hour each day during that period.

Manuela accepted the challenge and took an induction class last Monday, led by the gym’s fitness co-ordinator Al Darmanin.

Talking about the challenge, Manuela said: “I didn’t know how unfit I was until I took the induction!

“But every day I will be there without fuss and I will keep to my promise.

“The generosity shown to me by Kevin and his staff will be repaid tenfold when after five weeks I will be a walking example of what hard work and dedication can do for the fitness of an older lady.”

Chief executive of Valley Leisure, Kevin Paterson, spoke of his reasons behind supporting Manuela’s newest campaign.

He said: “Well there was three main reasons why we wanted to help.

“Firstly she is a tireless campaigner who wants to promote positivity in Andover.

“Secondly she is supporting a local charity and fundraising for them which is great.

“And finally our mission is ‘more people, more active’ and so we want to help her achieve her goals and hopefully she will see the long-term benefits of being fit.”