Covid-19 lockdowns<\/a>, he became increasingly isolated, rarely leaving his home and gaining significant weight.<\/p>\n![\"Mark](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0_1000017357.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Mark hit rock bottom during the COVID pandemic<\/p>\n
His mobility deteriorated to the point that he relied on a scooter and became breathless after only a few steps. He even had to move into a bungalow to be able to function on a daily basis.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was just lost in life,\u201d the 43-year-old said. \u201cMy mobility got so bad I needed a scooter.<\/p>\n
“I\u2019d sit on the sofa or the bed for hours, smoking, eating rubbish and not seeing anyone. Walking 10 paces would wipe me out.\u201d<\/p>\n
His health worsened further when his weight hit 24 stone and he was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. Around the same time, his mother suffered a stroke and a brain haemorrhage.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeeing my mum in hospital was the moment it hit me,\u201d he said. \u201cI thought, that\u2019s me in two years if I don\u2019t change something. I didn\u2019t want to end up where she was.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr King had been referred to a social prescriber shortly before his mother\u2019s illness.<\/p>\n
Social prescribers support people with non-medical needs that affect their health, helping them build confidence, set achievable goals and connect with community activities.<\/p>\n
He said he had not expected the referral to make a difference.<\/p>\n
\u201cI honestly thought I\u2019d just tick the box to keep the GP happy,\u201d he said. \u201cBut the social prescribers were brilliant.<\/p>\n
![\"Mark](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0_PXL_20260325_111255497.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
He’s now almost unrecognisable after turning his life around<\/p>\n
“I worked with a lady called Claire who was amazing. She didn\u2019t judge me. She just set me small goals and kept me going. I needed that push.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire began by setting weekly activity targets, starting with short walks.<\/p>\n
He could only manage a minute at first, but he gradually increased his distance. \u201cThose early walks were tough,\u201d he said. \u201cAfter 20 minutes, I\u2019d be sweating as if I\u2019d been in a sauna. But I kept doing it because I knew I had to.\u201d<\/p>\n
James Bromley, CEO of Erewash Voluntary Action (EVA), who supplied the social prescribers, said: \u201cClaire has moved on from her role now, but the care she and others gave Mark is something we still talk about with real pride.<\/p>\n
“What she did wasn\u2019t just coordination or signposting; it was showing up for someone who\u2019d lost his footing and helping him feel valued again.<\/p>\n
“Mark\u2019s journey reflects the best of social prescribing: compassion, persistence and a belief that people can rebuild when the right support wraps around them.<\/p>\n
“I\u2019m incredibly proud of what Claire started and what the team continued. It showed Mark he wasn\u2019t alone, and it reminded all of us why this work matters so much.\u201d<\/p>\n
With continued support, Mark lost weight and completed the Couch to 5K programme.<\/p>\n
He trained through the summer and completed the Nottingham Half Marathon in September 2025.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never thought I\u2019d run anything,\u201d he added. \u201cCrossing that finish line was massive. I wouldn\u2019t have got there without the social prescribers. They were the catalyst.\u201d<\/p>\n
His lifestyle has changed significantly. He now follows a whole foods-based diet, eating fruit, vegetables, healthy fats and high-protein meals, and limits takeaways to once every week or two.<\/p>\n
He has reversed his pre diabetes, improved his blood pressure, reduced his body fat from 50 per cent to 23 per cent and stopped smoking. He has not used his mobility scooter for 18 months.<\/p>\n
\u201cI look different, but more importantly, I feel different,\u201d he said. \u201cMy sleep\u2019s better, my energy\u2019s better. I\u2019m actually living my life. And I can look after mum when she needs me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr Penelope Blackwell, chair and clinical director for neighbourhood health and care at Derby and Derbyshire ICB, said: \u201cMark\u2019s story is neighbourhood working at its finest.<\/p>\n
“It shows what can happen when social prescribers, community partners and local services all pull in the same direction.<\/p>\n
“By connecting people to the right support at the right time, we can help residents build healthier, more independent lives. Mark has done the hard work, and the whole neighbourhood team is delighted to see how far he\u2019s come.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah Knapp, Physical Activity Inclusion Officer from Erewash Borough Council<\/a>, leads on a local initiative called All Move in Erewash.<\/p>\nMark recently became an AIMIE Champion, where he supports community health and wellbeing events, promotes physical activity, and shares his lived experience to encourage others.<\/p>\n
Sarah said: \u201cMark\u2019s progress has been remarkable, and I knew straight away he could inspire others through All Move in Erewash.<\/p>\n
“His commitment to the small steps he set with Claire shows the power of social prescribing, and he\u2019s now helping others find their confidence too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark now trains six days a week and is working towards qualifications as a personal trainer and gym instructor.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to help people who are where I was,\u201d he said. \u201cThere wasn\u2019t much guidance for me, and I want to be that support for someone else.\u201d<\/p>\n
He plans to run the Nottingham Half Marathon again this year with a faster target time. \u201cStart small and trust the process,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
“It doesn\u2019t happen overnight, but it\u2019s worth it. And if you get a chance to work with a social prescriber, I can\u2019t thank them highly enough, they\u2019re fantastic.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"‘My mobility got so bad I needed a scooter. I\u2019d sit on the sofa or the bed for…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":526610,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[136906,59,57,58,102,109217,50,56,54,55,4405],"class_list":{"0":"post-526609","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-united-kingdom","8":"tag-erewash-borough-council","9":"tag-gb","10":"tag-great-britain","11":"tag-greatbritain","12":"tag-health","13":"tag-ilkeston","14":"tag-news","15":"tag-uk","16":"tag-united-kingdom","17":"tag-unitedkingdom","18":"tag-weight-loss"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/526609","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=526609"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/526609\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/526610"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=526609"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=526609"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=526609"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Mark](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/2_escenic-2026-04-10T153222774.jpg\")
<\/p>\n