A GROSSLY overweight man struggles down the steps of The Moon Under Water boozer, before heading straight for a kebab.
In the town square, Galloways pie shop is doing a roaring trade of £2.90 meat and potato treats.
This is Wigan – dubbed the obesity capital of Britain, where a staggering 70 per cent of its 329,321 residents are overweight.
Nearly 40 per cent of the population is classed as obese, and the town is packed with kebab and pie shops, takeaway pizza and burger outlets that line up side-by-side.
Galloways manager Karen Smith admits: “A lot of people that come into this shop tend to be overweight. I think a lot of them do not cook for themselves. We sell lots of pies and lots of cakes – they’re very popular.”
While one food delivery cyclist told The Sun: “Sometimes I have delivered three meals to the same house in one day. They had a late McDonald’s breakfast, then a pizza and a late-night kebab.
“I remember a man answered the door in a T-shirt and pyjamas smoking a fag. It was like something out of a comedy show.”
The former mill and mining town is renowned for its pies and its world-famous rugby league side, Wigan Warriors.
The local delicacy is a pie barm – a meat-filled pastry in a buttered bread roll fondly known as a Wigan kebab.
Residents have long been nicknamed “pie eaters” and, indeed, the World Pie Eating Championship is held in a local pub. So locals aren’t surprised by the Greater Manchester town’s obesity title.
Retired welder Robert Rimmer, 79, said: “You see people queueing for McDonald’s and kebabs and everything. There are queues out of the door.
“I just don’t know where they get the money from. It’s shocking. If they’re obese, they can always go on a diet. It’s common sense, that’s all it is.”
Engineer John Rogers, 31, said: “It starts with the parents really. If you eat fruit and vegetables in your childhood, you will eat fruit and vegetables when you’re an adult.
“If you have a mother in a supermarket and she wants to buy fruit but can’t afford it, then the kids are screaming chocolate, what’s she going to do?
“Obesity has been identified as a problem in Wigan, but it’s everywhere. Fast food is much cheaper than fruit and vegetables, while chocolate bars cost 50p.”
He added: “A lot of people get diabetes, and there’s lots of hospital admissions. Obesity is only a problem if people make it a problem. But it’s also a problem in places like Salford and Warrington.”
Wiganers’ pie eaters’ nickname is thought to date back to the 1926 General Strike when miners were starved back to work.
Residents in other towns said they were forced to eat “humble pie”, which gave birth to the nickname.
The town’s football club, Wigan Athletic, marks the nickname with its Crusty the Pie mascot.
Its obesity problem does not shock district nurse Martha Finch, 67, who was out shopping in the town, which was historically in the county of Lancashire.
The mum-of-four said: “It doesn’t really surprise me. But I think it’s everywhere, not just Wigan. I think it’s nationally. You see people having takeaways, but they are mainly pies.
Sometimes I have delivered three meals to the same house in one day
Delivery driver
“We’re known for our pies here, but they’re good, and there’s nothing wrong with them as long as it’s in moderation with fruit and veg. Friday’s pie day for me.”
Retired factory worker Albert Howarth, 82, did not want to criticise people as he enjoys fast food, too.
He said, “I have the odd takeaway myself, but there does need to be more healthy eating.”
Coming out of a pie shop, one woman said: “I love a pie, but a lot of does around here. I don’t like cooking, so it’s quick and easy.”
‘Chronic problem’
The town’s weight problems are linked to deprivation, poor health, and poverty.
Male life expectancy in Wigan is 77 years, almost two years less than the national average. Heart failure is one of the town’s biggest killers.
Early deaths from cancer are also well above the national average, according to Public Health England.
Jane Pilkington, director of population health at NHS Greater Manchester, said: “There is an obesity epidemic in the UK now. It has been building up for at least 30 years. It is now a chronic problem.”
She added: “Our lives have become much more sedentary over the past three decades, and we’ve got a much wider availability of cheap, unhealthy foods now. We know rates are twice as high for obesity between deprived and non-deprived areas.”
Author George Orwell wrote about poverty in Northern England in his 1937 book The Road to Wigan Pier, which shocked the nation.
And local residents said there are still some shocking sights in the town.
Mum-of-two Sharon Hughes, 34, said: “There’s a lot of people on benefits here. I know mums who go without food so their kids don’t go hungry.
“But I’ve seen kids in rags or I’ve even seen some children walking barefoot in the street or go to school in tatty, old uniforms.
“It’s very sad.”
How to lose weight safely
Losing weight should be a long-term commitment to healthier living, rather than any drastic measures.
The NHS tips – which can be adopted slowly – include:
- Get active for 150 minutes a week – you can break this up into shorter sessions
- Aim to get your 5 A Day – 80g of fresh, canned or frozen fruit or vegetables count as 1 portion
- Aim to lose 1 to 2lbs, or 0.5 to 1kg, a week
- Read food labels – products with more green colour coding than amber and red are often a healthier option
- Swap sugary drinks for water – if you do not like the taste, add slices of lemon or lime for flavour
- Cut down on food that’s high in sugar and fat – start by swapping sugary cereal for wholegrain alternatives
- Share your weight loss plan with someone you trust – they can help motivate you when you have a bad day
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Last year, a study found that fat folk cost the NHS an extra £13.7billion a year. An overweight adult’s treatment is £847 a year, compared to £638 for one of a healthy weight, it said.
But some in Wigan are trying to turn the tide.
Nicola Kiggin is a consultant at Slimming World and teaches classes at Hindley Independent Methodist Church on the outskirts of town.
Most people who join lose weight within the first week and one member lost 16lbs weekly.
Ms Kiggin said: “There is no magic potion or pills, it is just normal food, but changing the way we’re cooking and shopping.
“It’s not anything special that we’re doing, and it’s just taking it back to basics.”
Back in Wigan, shoppers file past a statue of one of the town’s icons.
While entertainer George Formby holds his famous ukelele, an overweight shopper smiles as he tucks into his Wigan kebab.
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
