BARRY Pearce is power-walking his way to a new image - and is now a shadow of his former self.

Barry, who completed a 25-mile sponsored walk in just six hours on Saturday, is strolling his way to a slimmer figure after losing seven stones in as many months. And he's raised £2,000 for a children's charity on the way.

Barry, 41 of Wainfelin, began a new, healthy regime last December. He said: "It was just before Christmas that I decided I wanted to lose weight. "I knew I was big but when I got on the scales I had the biggest shock of my life. I was 25 stones when I started.

"I've been trying to lose it for many years unsuccessfully, but what I'm doing at the moment is working really well.

"I cut all the fats out of my diet, and when the weight started to come off I started swimming. At the start I was losing between four or five pounds every week." But it was his discovery of power walking which set Barry on the road to his amazing weight loss.

He said: "Someone I knew at work told me about power walking, which is walking wherever you go at a far faster pace.

"And while I was doing all this exercise, I wanted to do something for charity." Barry has a personal reason for giving to the Noah's Ark Appeal, which is raising funds to build Wales' first-ever children's hospital.

His 11-year-old daughter Sara, who was born with a dislocated hip, will be in Newport's Royal Gwent Hospital on Monday for an operation.

Barry said: "That's one of the main reasons I wanted to do it. I walked all the way from the services on the old Severn Bridge to the Lucas sports fields in Cwmbran.

"I surprised myself. I set a target to do it in six hours but I didn't think I'd manage it. "The biggest encouragement I've had has been from people around me, friends and people I know, coming up to me on the street and saying "Well done - that's tremendous"."