Experts from a leading UK charity have joined forces with council staff in a project backed by our Trust to raise awareness and widen support for students with eating disorders.
Students at York University will be offered webinars, one-to-one sessions, information and advice between February 27 until March 5, as part of Eating Disorder Awareness Week.
The seven days of activities are aimed at helping students recognise and manage the early signs of eating disorders – as well as highlight ways of accessing support and help.
“Early diagnosis and treatment greatly increase chances of recovery,” said David Kerr, community mental health transformation and programme delivery lead at TEWV.
“If something doesn’t feel right, please reach talk to someone. Don’t ever think it is not OK to open up, because there are services in place to help you. You just have to reach out.”
Reach out – help is there for you
Beat, a UK charity specialising in addressing and managing eating disorders, will lead on the webinars during the awareness week – highlighting the support available in York.
The webinars will be hosted by the Students’ Union, to give attendees anonymity. This will be followed by an on-campus information session with one-to-one meetings.
Caroline Price, Beat’s director of services, said: “Going to university can feel overwhelming, particularly if you’re unwell with an eating disorder or worried about your health.
“We’re very pleased to be able to hold these sessions to reach students and help early identification and treatment, as the sooner people get help the better their chances of a full recovery.”
Beat already holds programmes for adults with eating disorders in York and the City Council has welcomed the chance to work with Beat and York Student Union on the new project.
Early diagnosis increases recovery success
Councillor Carol Runciman, executive member for Health and Adult Social Care at the council, said: “With a significant student population, it’s important to work with our colleges and universities to further support their own mental wellbeing activities.
“With the experts at Beat, we can share this support and are delighted to do so during eating disorder awareness week. We hope to facilitate similar events in other locations across the city.”
The university’s York Sport Union President Franki Riley added: “This is an issue that many students will face either directly or indirectly across their time at university, and it is vital that they are aware of the support they can access.
“Within my role in sports, I know how prevalent eating disorders are amongst young athletes and that getting the right support is crucial to supporting their recovery.
“We need to be talking more openly about eating disorders and the impact they have, and I am looking forward to this year’s Eating Disorder Awareness Week starting some really important conversations.”
- To find out more about the help on offer for people with an eating disorder and their carers see: https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/get-information-and-support/beat-support-in-my-area/get-support-in-england/
