The Stoke and Newcastle branch of Overeaters Anonymous has recently moved to Minton Community Centre, Minton Street in Stoke.

This meeting helps local people with eating problems, and is held 7.30pm and 9.00 pm every Thursday.

Penelope, an officer of the group, said: "Many of our members turned to Overeaters Anonymous when they just could not control their eating any more after years of dieting, starving, overeating.

"Coming to Overeaters Anonymous has enabled members to achieve a healthy body weight, control their eating and deal with their lives without hiding in excessive food or dieting."

The programme of Overeaters Anonymous is based on the same 12 steps as Alcoholics Anonymous but members of OA substitute food for alcohol.

OA meetings are held in many parts of the UK and all over the world. If you wish to find other meetings - these can be found on www.oagb.org.uk or www.oa.org