When young Steven Wild embarked on an exercise programme, it was the impetus for his family to get fit.

The nine-year-old, who suffers from von Willebrand’s disease, a form of haemophilia, was referred through his consultant to the MEND programme – Mind, Exercise, Nutrition... Do it!.

The programme empowers children and adults to become fitter, healthier and happier, and designs services offering long-term solutions to help people improve their health, fitness and self-esteem.

Steven’s father Andrew and mum Andrea had tried dieting before, but the couple put their recent slimming success down to the drive and determination to do it for their children. The couple also have a four-year-old son, Thomas.

“Andrea had already got it in her mind she wanted to go to Slimming World and I said we need to change this for Steven,” recalls Andrew.

In the six months since Steven embarked on the programme, he has seen his body mass index drop significantly.

Inspired by his weight loss, Andrew and Andrea, who are both 32 and from Riddlesden, have since followed suit, recently achieving the Couple of the Year award at the Slimming World session they attend at St Aidan’s church, Crossflatts.

Andrew says losing weight has been life-changing for their family. Instead of lounging around at the weekend, they go off on walks.

“And I walk to work everyday. I do 20 to 30 miles a week walking to work – I didn’t used to walk to the shop before,” says Andrew.

“Steven says he wants to walk every day with me. As a family we have all changed our whole perception.”

Says Andrea: “We still have the odd treat, but the meals we do are a lot healthier, the way we cook things.”

Instead of coming home from school seeking sweets and chocolate, Steven and his brother favour fruit and the family cook balanced meals.

Andrea says they started putting on weight when she and Andrew moved in together and started eating cheaper convenience meals.

“We ate anything that would go into the deep fat fryer!” says Andrew. “We don’t have a deep fat fryer now.”

“We’ve always got fruit in the fruit bowls now. The MEND programme was very good for Steven and for us all. It gave us a better understanding, and even now Steven will look at the backs of packets and say ‘it isn’t MEND-friendly!’ Six months on and he is still doing it,” says Andrea.

Steven has proved a real inspiration to his parents in their slimming success.

Since joining Slimming World in May last year, Andrew has dropped from a 40in waist to a 32/34 and Andrea has trimmed down from a size 22 to a 16. Andrea’s starting weight was 16st 11lb. Her current weight is 13st 8lb and her target is 11st 11lbs. Andrew’s starting weight was 18st 9lb and he currently weighs 15st 2lb. His target weight is 13st.

Andrew talks proudly of his son taking his Slimmer of the Week award to show and tell at school “to show his class how proud he was of me,” adds Andrew.

Andrea says since embarking on the MEND programme, healthy eating has become a habit.

“We have taken it on board and we learned from it,” adds Andrew. “We are so excited about the journey we are on.”

The couple hope their story will inspire others to follow their lead. “If we can help somebody else, it would be brilliant,” says Andrea.

“When you have children you have to enjoy them, and we feel healthy enough that we can now,” says Andrew, who talks of running around after his boys on Blackpool beach – something he would have struggled to do before.

“I am at a level now that I can run after them and enjoy them growing up,” says Andrew.

Slimming World consultant Ros Tonks, says: “Andrew and Andrea both attend every week and have lost fabulously together all the way, reached mini goals and received awards all the way. Members love to know how they’ve done and support them both, too.”

Ros says the support they have given their son through Slimming World has been life-changing. “The education of the Extra Easy healthy eating plan for all the family has transformed them all.”