A REDDITCH man's dreams of being in the military have come true - after shedding more than 70lbs.

Ashley Stone had a boyhood dream of being in the army.

He had a passion for all things military, but due to his weight, he was always restricted to 1940s dress up and reenactment festivals.

That was until the 46-year-old, who weighed in at more than 18st, joined Weightwatchers after being encouraged by his wife.

"Throughout adulthood I had always been overweight but as got older my weight kept on increasing," he said.

"I was originally introduced to Weightwatchers by my wife. I found it was a healthy plan I could stick to and as the weight came off I felt more and more confident that I could start to do all the things I enjoy such as long-distance cycling.

"It is now not uncommon for me to cycle from Redditch to North Wales on a Saturday morning.

"But my passion remains with the military and with the encouragement of family, friends, my wonderful coach Debbie Onions and the other members of the group, I applied to join the Army Reserves in Summer 2017."

With the loss of weight and his continued fitness, Ashley passed the basic training and became the oldest recruit to be accepted into the Royal Signals.

He now weighs 13.1st.

He added: "I have since had the opportunity to train with the Swiss Army and have many more opportunities within the armed forces.

"Without Weightwatchers none of the above would have been possible – the support and encouragement I got from my coach and the members on a Monday evening literally changed my life and made a boyhood/adulthood dream become a reality."