A NEWLY-qualified Slimming World team developer is to launch her new weekly group in Holyhead next month.

Chrissie Williams will hold her new group every Wednesday at Kingsland Pensioners Club, Clifton Terrace, Holyhead from November 10.

Chrissie is a long-standing Slimming World consultant in Anglesey, and in January 2020, was offered the chance to further her career within the company.

But just as her training was about to start in Slimming World’s academy in Alfreton, coronavirus struck the country and all plans were temporarily put on hold, as they were for everyone.

She said: “It was a big decision for me - I love helping people achieve their weight loss dreams but like lots of people, I doubted my own ability.

“My family, friends and colleagues were so supportive, they saw it as a natural progression for me and they were right. To do more of what I love just felt right.”

Despite the tribulations thrown up by the COVID-19 pandemic, Chrissie remained as determined as ever to help those who needed her most, running support groups online in the meantime.

These sessions, she believes, were a ‘lifeline’ for people who may have fallen into bad habits as a consequence of the pandemic.

She added: “We knew that the psychological impact of the pandemic would be a major factor for people to fall into unhealthy eating habits - and it was later reported that obesity made the symptoms of COVID-19 even more severe.

“This meant that helping as many people as possible in a safe, supportive way was paramount. Learning to run our support groups from home was a steep learning curve for many of us and over the coming months, I expanded my knowledge of technology and my level of support to my future team of consultants.

“Zoom sessions became a way of life and a lifeline for so many, especially those who were shielding or isolating.”

Towards September 2020, businesses were able to start reopening and training was able to resume at Slimming World’s academy, too.

During the following couple of months, alongside heading to Alfreton, Chrissie and her team brought real-life groups back into Anglesey communities, with a stringent risk assessment put in place to always adhere to current Welsh Assembly guidelines.

Sadly, just before Christmas, the second national lockdown was announced, meaning it was back to the virtual service with us – but Chrissie was at least able to complete her training, graduating as a team developer on February 16, 2021 via Zoom.

She said: “After the most bizarre of years, I couldn’t be prouder! I now have the opportunity to work alongside even more incredible people, to help and support them with weight loss and business dreams, all the while knowing I have the support of incredible people too.

“I would love to let everyone know that your local consultants in Holyhead, Cemaes Bay, Gaerwen, Menai Bridge, Llanfairpwll and Brynteg are looking forward to welcoming you and in time, who knows where our next groups will open?”