A SUPER slimmer who lost almost ten stone was inspired by the plight of a youngster waiting for a kidney transplant.

Richard McCarthy, 33, who has gone from a 60-inch waist to a 36-inch, is donating the £400 proceeds from his 10-month sponsored slim to St James's Hospital, in Leeds.

The money will pay for a new washing machine and drier for the children's renal unit where his friend and former neighbour, five-year-old Thomas Blanchard, is still undergoing treatment.

Thomas, who lived next door to Richard at Riccall, now lives in Disraeli Close, Huntington, York, where he undergoes dialysis treatment every evening.

He has been on dialysis for two-and-a-half years and was put on the kidney transplant waiting list nine months ago.

Thomas was called into the hospital recently but his hopes were dashed when the donor kidney turned out to be a mismatch.

Father-of-three Richard, who now lives at Whitley Bridge, near Selby, is almost half the man he used to be. He tipped the scales at 24st 9lb in January this year and is now down to an incredible 15st 1lb. But he says his battle of the bulge is nothing compared to the courage of Thomas, who refuses to let his illness get him down.

Richard, a member of Slimming World who works out five a times a week at the Selby Abbey Leisure Centre gym, says Currys of York were helping to sort out the washing machine for him. He says his new figure has proved a real slimline tonic.

He said: "It's great to be able to buy clothes in normal-size shops. My wife, Jane, says it's like being married to a new man.

"It's given me a new lease of life. I was too embarrassed to go swimming before, but now we'll be going every weekend as a family.

"I don't want to be a couch potato any longer and plan to run a half-marathon next year."

Thomas's mum, Angela, said her son had come on leaps and bounds since going on dialysis.

She said: "He's a real fighter - we're just keeping our fingers crossed now that we find a match."

Updated: 10:51 Wednesday, November 21, 2001