A Mansfield Woodhouse woman who grew the firm Slimming World from a single weight loss group to a network of more than 3,500 consultants has died.

Margaret Miles-Bramwell, who started the business in 1969 in Alfreton, which now employs 400 staff at its headquarters, died on Sunday at her Mallorca home, the firm said, adding: “She leaves the world a healthier place”.

Margaret, 76, who was born in April 1948 and grew up in South Normanton, was awarded an OBE in 2009 for her services to the health of the British public and only in January received another top honour.

Slimming World managing director Lisa Salmon said: “Margaret steered her ship in the way she lived her life – with a generous spirit, passionate conviction, a wicked and rebellious sense of humour, and a fierce belief in doing the right thing.

“Our job now is to continue to keep her legacy alive by doing the very same thing.”

According to Slimming World, Margaret struggled with her own weight since childhood. She set up her first group in a church hall in Alfreton in 1969, to help people with both their weight and with “the sometimes far heavier burden of shame and self-criticism”.

Slimming World added: “Margaret touched the hearts and changed the lives of millions of people, including all of Slimming World’s consultants and staff, who will feel her loss deeply.

“Right now, our thoughts are with Margaret’s family. We take comfort, as we’re sure they do, in the hope that Margaret is now reunited with her beloved husband Tony, who passed away in 2021.”