Anyone who knows me, knows that I (used) to say "I only run on a hockey pitch", however, when the opportunity to run the Great North Run 2021 on behalf of Beat came up,  I simply could not refuse. 

Beat and their amazing work have a special place in my heart due to the support they gave my cousin, Amy, and my family, especially my auntie, during Amy's struggle with anorexia. Amy was 17 years old when she was officially diagnosed with anorexia. This started from an obsession with exercising and then restricting foods that she perceived to be "bad" for her training. After an admission to an adult cardiac unit due to an extremely low heart rate and a risk of organ failure due to the anorexia, Amy and her family started family based therapy. Amy and my auntie spent the next six months at home, all day, with my auntie trying everything to get Amy back to eating with no restrictions and not allowing Amy to exercise at all. This was far from easy due to Amy's anorexia needing to control both the exercise and the food she was consuming. After a lot of hard work from both my auntie and Amy, Amy had reached a weight that her doctors were happy with, but there was still work to do to get Amy where she is today, happy and healthy in university.

What always surprises me about people's assumptions of eating disorders is that they think it is only about food and that it only effects teenagers. In fact, a lot of the time eating disorders can stem from a need to control or a need to exercise or over-exercise and around 15% of Beat's calls come from someone aged 40 or over. It is estimated that around  1.25 million people in the UK are suffering from an eating disorder. Eating disorders are a serious mental illness which do not discriminate and 25% of cases tend to be in males. 

Beat provide online groups, a helpline and training for carers or anyone who needs them to support those effected by eating disorders. Fundraising and donations are central to their ability to continue their great work. 

From myself and my family, thank you for donating to this incredible charity!