A MOTOR-STORE manager is flying high after shedding five stone to achieve his dream of going sky-diving.

Chris Rostron, from Blackburn, needed to be 15 stone in order to do a sky-dive, which he had planned for the day before his 40th birthday at the Black Knight Parachute Centre in Lancaster.

But at 19 stone and eight pounds he did not think this was possible for his birthday on Wednesday until he reached an amazing 14 stone and nine pounds a month ago.

He said: “It felt amazing and I loved it so much I want to go back to do it again on my own.

“It was good to do it right before my birthday and I’m happy I got to do it.”

It was in October last year that Mr Rostron decided he wanted to do a sky-dive for his birthday.

He said: “I looked online and found that the limit weight was 15 stone and I was gutted because I thought I would never reach that.

“I have known trainer Symon Hughes since I was 16 and we used to work together at the A1 motor store in Accrington where I work as a manager now.

“I mentioned it to him when he popped in one day and he said if you come up, I will put together a plan and we’ll get you there.”

But the former smoker struggled with motivation at first and every time he didn’t go, Symon, from The Fitness Bank in Oswaldtwistle, would go to the store and ask why.

Mr Rostron said: “That happened three or five times.

“Sy would also ask me to send him pictures of my food every night,and after two months I got the bug for fitness.”

After the lockdown started, Mr Rostron continued to work out at home with his own weights and boxing equipment.

Mr Hughes said: “A trainer’s job is just to show them the ropes and push them in the right direction. I’ve known him since I was 16 and have been trying to get him in gym since then but he never pursued it until last year.”

Mr Rostron says he now feels more confident having got to 40 with a new healthy approach to life.