ADRIAN Stewart, 31, is planning a sponsored walk on the Great Wall of China in aid of Diabetes UK. He was diagnosed with type two diabetes 18 months ago, prompting a diet and exercise regime which has so far seen his weight fall from 27 stone to 22. Adrian, a warehouse operative, lives in Greenmeadow.

IF all goes according to plan, one day next spring Adrian Stewart will find himself on the Great Wall of China.

Ahead of him will lie five days of hard trekking, much of it up and down flights of unforgiving steps and along unreconstructed sections of what is often listed as a wonder of the modern world.

“It will probably be the most amazing thing I’ve done in my life,” he said.

“The wall has so much history that just to walk along it will be amazing.”

Adrian had the idea to walk the wall in aid of Diabetes UK after hearing about a sponsored walk being held by another charity, Make Some Noise, which helps disadvantaged children. He’ll walk with other fundraisers.

“I looked at it and quite liked the idea. The one I’m going to do will be self-funded. I’ll pay for the travel, I’ll pay for the accommodation and all the money raised will go to the charity.

“There are thousands of steps and we’ll be going along the unreconstructed sections as well – and there’ll be big drops either side.”

Adrian relishes the challenge.

“It’s a good way of keeping myself motivated to lose weight. It’s always good to set yourself a goal.”

Adrian was born in Germany. His father was a soldier who later worked for the Royal Mail and his mother works for House of Fraser. Adrian has a brother and sister.

Like many Army families, Adrian has moved from location to location. They settled in Swindon when Adrian was about 10.

He attended what was then Hreod Parkway School, and is now Nova Hreod.

He studied for a BTEC in sport and science at New College, and some of what he learned then has helped him since he decided to lose weight.

He puts his weight gain down to the same factors which affect millions of people in 21st Century Britain – diet and exercise choices. A fondness for restaurant food and takeaway food didn’t help.

“I did a lot of exercise, a lot of stuff as a kid. I was born in the eighties, and there wasn’t much technology.

“There are a lot more reasons to stay at home now. You have Netflix, you have on-demand stuff.”

Adrian’s extra pounds didn’t pile on overnight.

“I’ve always been a quite large person. I was active, but I was still eating a lot. It kind of creeps up and you tend to ignore it. You’re kind of blocking it and you’re getting bigger.”

By the time of his diabetes diagnosis he had reached 27 stone.

Such news can never be good, but in Adrian’s case it was the motivation he needed to change his life. Without that diagnosis, he believes he would have become heavier still.

He was surprised to learn that, provided a person is determined to make the change, the process of losing weight is not the hard slog it might appear.

“It takes effort but there is no mystery and no magic key.

“You need to be motivated to do it. A lot of my friends and family have helped me to be motivated, and seeing the weight I’ve lost also motivates me.”

Other motivations are the thought of his Great Wall walk and his desire to inspire others who struggle with weight issues, type two diabetes or both.

“It’s always good to set yourself a goal.

“I want to show people that you do not have to change your life completely. You can still eat quite normally, but you just have to manage your portion control. You also have to take some exercise every day.

“When I first started, I thought that cutting down on food was going to be the hardest thing, but since I’ve done it I’ve found it’s not hard to cook my own meals at home, which are a lot healthier.

“A lot of ready meals and pre-packed meals have a lot of salt and sugar, and as a diabetic I have to be really careful.

“When I make my own food I know exactly what’s going into it and it tastes better.

“I know it’s healthy but it tastes good. You can make a healthy meal that tastes just as good as one from a takeaway.”

Adrian still treats himself to a monthly restaurant meal with his family as well as a monthly takeaway, but finds he has no urge to eat as much as he used to.

He has also rediscovered the joys of exercise, both in the gym and through his walking.

“When I’ve been doing these walks I’ve found different parts of Swindon that are really nice, and there’s also the Ridgeway.”

For anybody wanting to change their own lives in the way he is, Adrian recommends using every resource available.

“Go to your local doctor or see a nutritionist. There’s also a lot of information online that people can look at.

“Help from friends and family is important – or if you can go online and find local communities and groups.

“You can search on Pinterest for healthy meal ideas, and Diabetes UK has a community site. You can just Google things.

“Find the foods you like. Find out what the correct portion size is.

“A lot of the time you find that when you feel hungry you’re not hungry but thirsty – just drink water.

“I still eat stuff I enjoy, but it’s just changing it about a bit and experimenting.”

To sponsor Adrian’s Great Wall of China walk, visit www.justgiving.com/Adrian-Stewart3