Myself and Rick are parents of a child diagnosed with an eating disorder. The help and guidance that’s accessible through BEAT is invaluable.

Finding out our daughter had Anorexia type BP was devastating and we felt totally lost, we didn’t know from one day to the next whether we were doing or saying the right things to help or whether we were making things worse. Eating disorders are such complex mental health disorders and the statistics are heartbreaking with suicide rates being the highest than any other mental illness. Every day we were and still are at times fearful for the future of our daughter.

Early diagnosis is essential but there simply isn’t enough awareness and Information out there to help parents to spot the signs early. Weight loss should be the very last thing you notice but we were simply unaware that little things we had noticed were signally something more severe.

Myself, Rick and a team of my clients are fundraising for Beat, the UK's eating disorder charity. Beat supports anyone with an eating disorder, their friends and family, as well as professionals working with or worried about an individual in their care.

These serious mental illnesses include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder. 1.25 million people in the UK have a diagnosed eating disorder. They affect people of all ages and backgrounds, and up to one in four sufferers are male. Eating disorders cost the UK's economy £16.8 billion each year.

Please help support us in raising money to help raise awareness and increase the support and help that’s available for the sufferers of these devastating Illnesses and their families.

Every little helps so all donations big or small are welcome.

Mel, Rick and “The Believers” born survivor team.