A SUPER-fit North-East dad who once weighed 18-stone has soared to success in a national competition to find the most active employees in the UK.

Andrew Kirtley, from Peterlee, is ranked sixth in Sport England’s new fitness campaign The Workplace Challenge after beating thousands of competitors to take the prestigious top ten spot.

The 54-year-old father-of-one, who works for the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, took up cycling three-years-ago to get in shape and improve his health.

He now cycles around 150 miles a week and since starting the Workplace Challenge in January has clocked up 3,997 miles, roughly the distance from the North-East to Russia and back.

The challenge aims to boost the health of officer workers after a recent study revealed that British people sit down for around 8.9 hours every day, with more than six of those hours being spent in the workplace.

Contestants gain points for every activity they do - from running and cycling to simply standing up at a breakfast meeting - and are ranked on a national leader board.

Mr Kirtley, who now weighs a healthy 11-stone, said: “I think the Workplace Challenge is a great way to motivate people. It’s not about your speed or your time; it’s just about getting out and doing something. It’s also the ideal vehicle to keep track of what you are doing.

“I used to have a very sedentary job and never did any exercise and so the weight piled on. I feel so much better in myself now and just have so much more energy.”