Tributes after death of Slimming World founder, 76

An entrepreneur who grew the firm Slimming World from a single weight loss group to a network of more than 3,500 consultants has died.

Margaret Miles-Bramwell started the business in 1969 in Alfreton, Derbyshire, next to Somercotes, where the firm today employs 400 staff at its headquarters.

Mrs Miles-Bramwell died on Sunday morning at her home in Mallorca, Spain, surrounded by family, the firm said in a statement.

It added: "She leaves the world a healthier place."

Mrs Miles-Bramwell, 76, from Mansfield Woodhouse in Nottinghamshire, was appointed an OBE in 2009 for her services to the health of the British public.

She was a "loving and much-loved" daughter, wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, said Slimming World.

Managing director Lisa Salmon said: "Margaret steered her ship in the way she lived her life - with a generous spirit, passionate conviction, a wicked and rebellious sense of humour, and a fierce belief in doing the right thing.

"Our job now is to continue to keep her legacy alive by doing the very same thing."

Mrs Miles-Bramwell was born in April 1948 and grew up in South Normanton.

According to Slimming World, she had struggled with her own weight since childhood.

She set up her first group in a church hall in Alfreton in 1969, to help people with both their weight and with "the sometimes far heavier burden of shame and self-criticism".

The firm said it held those founding principles as key to its strategy.

Speaking about her career after she received her royal honour, Mrs Miles-Bramwell previously said: "In the early days, in the 60s, there was some help around, but it was the sort that used humiliation tactics.

"I really felt that we needed to treat overweight people with respect and courtesy and as adults and not as children who needed a slap or something. That was really what inspired me."

Mrs Miles-Bramwell remained chairwoman of the firm until her death.

In a statement, Slimming World added: "Margaret touched the hearts and changed the lives of millions of people, including all of Slimming World's consultants and staff, who will feel her loss deeply.

"Right now, our thoughts are with Margaret's family. We take comfort, as we're sure they do, in the hope that Margaret is now reunited with her beloved husband Tony, who passed away in 2021."

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