A FORMER rugby league player has turned a big idea into a reality after designing a pioneering bicycle seat for overweight people.

Stephen Phythian, aged 59, says his invention could transform the lives of millions of obese people by introducing them to cycling.

But now he is appealing for funding to get his product onto the market after spending almost five years trying to get his idea through red tape.

Mr Phythian, who was played as a prop forward for Swinton, Whitehaven and the Australian team during the 1970s and 80s, came up with the idea for the new seat after doing a sponsored bike ride to Blackpool for an amateur rugby club in Swinton.

He said: "I was at least a couple of stone overweight and when I got on a hire bike it almost split me in half. It was so painful, and that was when I got the idea to design my own adjustable bicycle bench."

Mr Phythian, of Cedar Drive, on the Kearsley and Clifton border, is an experienced motor mechanic. He designed up to 30 prototypes for the seat in his workshop before hitting on the finished design.

The development of the seat, which was given a patent in 2013, included the use of high density foam to create an ultra soft seat and came as NHS bosses were warning of the billions of pounds being wasted on dealing with obesity.

Mr Phythian said: "I took it on myself to write to organisations including Public Health England and MPs suggesting overweight people should take up cycling to tell them about my invention, but despite nice letters back, nothing happened.

"The same could be said for most local authorities with the exception of Bolton Council, whose Get Active team were the first to show a genuine interest."

But despite the council going as far as trying out his new seat on people who wanted to take up cycling to get fit, it said not have the funding available to take it further.

Mr Phythian was put in touch with the Manchester Growth Hub which, which he said told him it was looking for inventions like his, but again it came to nothing.

He said: "I had a letter from the Public Health England's chief executive saying it needed academic research doing on the seat. Subsequently, I took it to Salford University but they wanted £11,000 off me to do the research.

"The seat is very rigid and very strong but everywhere I turn I have been given the cold shoulder.

"I am desperately looking for someone to bring this revolutionary seat to the market because it will literally help millions of people out there who are put off cycling because of conventional saddles."

n If you can help, contact The Bolton News on 01204 537270.