Betty bows out after 25 years leading slimming classes

She came for one night only, to see how she would get on, and 25 years later, Derry’s Betty Cairns (née Hannaway) is retiring as leader of her slimming classes.

Betty, who began her career with Weight Watchers and continued with Unislim, said she was retiring to spend more time looking after her wee grandson, Oliver, who just turned one year old.

It was immediately obvious chatting to Betty, Oliver was the apple of her eye and family was central in her life. Betty’s mum, Mary (86), and dad, Raymond (88), live with her and her husband, Kevin, who is originally from Strabane.

Like many people, Betty began going to slimming classes following the birth of her two children, Caoimhe and Ciaran.

“After Ciaran was born, there was only a year and five months between Caoimhe and him, I wanted back into the jeans so I joined Weight Watchers.

“We lived in Ballymena, where Kevin was a bank manager at the time. So, I joined Weight Watchers there 28 years ago.

“When the leader was moving to England with her husband’s job, she asked me if I would fancy taking on the group. I was at my goal weight at the time but I said, ‘I could never do that’ but 25 years later, I haven’t shut my mouth,” laughed Betty.

“I went for an open interview at the Stormont Hotel in Belfast. I came away from it and said to Kevin, ‘I don’t think that job’s for me’ but I got it. We Then had to do six weeks’ training in Belfast.

“The first night I went to class I was a bag of nerves. I said to Kevin, ‘I don’t think I can do this’ but he said, ‘Give it a couple of weeks and see how it goes’ and 25 years later, I am retiring.”

Betty said what she enjoyed most about the job was the people she met.

“When I finished up on Tuesday, a member came over to me and said, ‘You know, Betty, I have never stuck at anything in all my life and can I tell you, I am still here because of you’. I said, ‘It wouldn’t have mattered who was here’ and she said, ‘You never judged any of us. You treated us all with the same respect’.

“Over the years, If I was away on holidays and put a bit of weight on, I came back and told them I had put weight on, which you always do on your holidays. What I noticed though was, when I was younger, when I started out in Unislim, if I put three pounds on on holidays, I would have taken it off the next week but the older you get, it sticks to you like glue,” she smiled.

“I was away in Wexford on my holidays and It took me six weeks to get that three pounds I put on, off. I always went in and told the members the truth about my own weight because there was no point standing up and saying, ‘Here am I, I never put on weight’. You have to be honest.

“I love the people in the classes, that one-to-one with somebody at the scales. I always used to say, ‘Do you see when ever I retire, I’m going to write a book and I am going to tell all your stories. I’ll not say who you are but I am going to tell all those stories’.

“After the weigh-ins, we did half an hour of group, which was great because everybody was able to tell their story. We had a topic to follow every week and being in a group meant members could support one another. Members have told me that they are good friends with people they have met in group, people they never knew before and they go for a wee cup of tea or coffee afterwards,” said Betty.

According to Betty, a good few people attend slimming classes because they want to look their best at special occasions such as weddings.

She said: “Funny, whenever I finished up, one of the members said, ‘Betty, I just have to tell you this. I joined you when my son was getting married 12 years ago’. She actually said she told me she was there for her son’s wedding at her first class and I said to her, ‘Well if I look as good as you do now when my son’s getting married, I’ll not be going to any slimming class’. I don’t even remember saying that but obviously it stuck with her.

“Once I had a member who lost 12 stone over three years and had gotten down to a size 18 from a size 32. She was in a boutique trying on a dress and, naturally, was quietly admiring her reflection in the mirror. She told me after, she knew by the look on the young assistant’s face, she thought my member was mad thinking she looked well.

“She told me she said to the assistant, ‘‘Wait till I tell you, I have lost 12 stone. I used to be a size 32 and this is an 18, that’s why I am looking at myself this way’.

“She went away to work with her job and whenever she came back I met her and she still had her weight off and she said, ‘I am only after getting into a size 10 jeans’ and I just threw my arms around her and hugged her and said, ‘When you joined me did you ever think you would lose the weight and look so amazing.' I loved stories like that," said Betty.

As Unislim celebrates its 50th birthday, we wish Betty all the best for the future on her retirement.

Betty’s classes are continuing with a covering leader on Tuesdays at 9.15am, 10.30am and 5.15pm in St Brigid’s Centre, Carnhill.

Edel is taking the class on Tuesdays at 6pm in the Colgan Hall in Carndonagh; Wednesday’s at 10am and 11.30am in Pilots’ Row; and 6pm and 7pm in the YMCA.

Mary is taking the class on Tuesdays at 10am and 5.30pm in Strabane Presbyterian Church Hall.