Sutton man to lose seven stone for charity

A man who was bullied at school due to his weight wants to lose seven stone in an effort to raise money for a mental health charity.
Bryan Garner, 39, with actor Kim Coates, who is best known for playing Tig Trager in Sons of Anarchy. (Image: Bryan Garner)Bryan Garner, 39, with actor Kim Coates, who is best known for playing Tig Trager in Sons of Anarchy. (Image: Bryan Garner)
Bryan Garner, 39, with actor Kim Coates, who is best known for playing Tig Trager in Sons of Anarchy. (Image: Bryan Garner)

Bryan Garner, who is currently 22 stone, will be losing weight over the next year as part of his 'Be More Super' fundraiser for Nottingham Central Mind.

The 39-year-old, of Sutton, said he wants to lose weight so he can go to the park with his two daughters and not worry about fitting on rides at theme parks.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He said: "I was bullied when I was at school and I'm a massive superman fan , so I took comfort in watching that. It was my form of escapism so I've based it around that.

"Through fitness it has been proven to help mental health issues, so I thought that this was the perfect opportunity to do something super whilst I lose weight.

"I'm hoping to raise awareness for mental health for men, as our greatest strength is talking about it, opening up and showing emotion."

Mr Garner also has the backing of numerous celebrity actors and actresses from shows such as Sons of Anarchy and Superman.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Sarah Douglas, who is best known for playing the Kryptonian supervillain Ursa in Superman and Superman II, showed her support for Mr Garner on Twitter.

She tweeted: "Very impressed with your fund raising efforts and do wish you all the very best with them. A brilliant and worthy cause."

Mr Garner said his wife and kids are the "most precious things" to him, and losing weight would allow him to be more flexible in the activities he does with his family.

He added: "I though to myself 'enough is enough now', and so I decided to do this for myself, my family and the charity.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"I hope my journey will help those people who are struggling to take the first step in losing weight or getting help for their mental well-being."

He will be training at Anytime Fitness in Sutton.

Fiona Smith, manager at Anytime Fitness, said Mind was the chosen charity of the gym.

She added: "We are committed to the health and wellness of all our members, be it physical or mental.

"We provide all our members with a free six week programme which Bryan is currently on with one of our personal trainers, David Davies.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"After Bryan has completed the programme we will be with him throughout his journey to lose seven stone and help him raise money for Mind.

"Mind is the chosen charity of Anytime Fitness UK and we are looking forward to working with the Nottingham Central Mind in the future to help raise awareness for mental health.

"We are also looking to do more awareness events in the area."

You can donate to his fundraiser here.