Lager lover boosts children's charities

LAGER lover Andy Meadows piled on the pounds – and lost them – as he made the ultimate sacrifice and turned teetotal for three months to help Suffolk children.

By Amanda Cresswell

LAGER lover Andy Meadows piled on the pounds – and lost them – as he made the ultimate sacrifice and turned teetotal for three months to help Suffolk children.

Andy, a regular at The White Horse in Tattingstone, substituted his ten pints a night for soft drinks and raised £620 in sponsorship for Ipswich Hospital's Special Babycare Unit.

But as well as piling on the pounds Andy, whose favourite tipple is Carlsberg, also lost them – because at the end of the stint he weighed three and a half stone less.

The 40-year-old, who conveniently lives behind the pub, said: "It all started because it was something I said when I was drunk over Christmas and people kept me to it.

"The first month was hard and I did miss it. People would ask, pint Andy? But once they knew I was serious about it, they stopped.

"I still went to the pub every night, it wasn't any different, but I drank soft drinks.

"I kept to it, even waiting right until midnight on the final day to have my first pint – a bottle of Stella, which made me feel dizzy."

But now he's back to pints again Andy, who works for Collins Skip Hire, has put the weight back on.

It is the second time he has raised funds in this way – the last time he gave up booze for one month in aid of a cancer charity.

Everyone was a winner because as well as raising much needed cash, Andy worked out that giving up the pints saved him £1,200.