We asked our CEO, Alana Wilde, for her reflections on Eating Disorders Awareness Week - here’s what she had to say:
As CEO of South Yorkshire Eating Disorder Association, I’m reminded every day that eating disorders don’t follow awareness weeks, funding cycles, or convenient timelines.
They show up quietly - in GP waiting rooms, in classrooms, in workplaces, and behind closed doors. And they don’t disappear when the spotlight moves on.
Awareness campaigns like Eating Disorders Awareness Week are vital. They start conversations, reduce stigma, and encourage people to reach out. We’re incredibly grateful to have been able to partner with BEAT, and with the other agencies in the REDCAN network, colleagues in the NHS, and with local businesses and charities this year as part of our EDAW campaign. But, real recovery is built in the everyday moments between those campaigns - in consistent support, continued motivation, and trusted relationships. And what we know is that communities that understand eating disorders, and who know how to hold space for people in recovery, are vital.
Community matters because recovery rarely happens in isolation.
It happens when someone finds a space where they feel seen rather than judged. When families can access guidance without waiting for a crisis. When professionals across health, education, and voluntary sectors work together, instead of in silos. And when we recognise that eating disorders rarely exist in isolation, or as a response to desiring a particular body shape or size; they are deeply connected to social context, identity, trauma, and belonging.
What we see on the ground is clear:
· Demand for community-based support continues to grow
· Involving those with lived experience is essential in shaping an effective service
· Stigma and shame around eating disorders persist and can lead to people struggling in secret.
If we only talk about eating disorders during designated moments in the calendar, we risk reinforcing the idea that support is temporary too.
Instead, we need to keep focus on eating disorders, in conversations with policymakers, with employers, with educators, with health care professionals, and in our work in, and with, communities. This will ensure that not only does support remain available, but that people know how to access it, and how to identify when they, or a friend, colleague, or loved one might need it.
At its heart, this is about compassion and continuity.
Because, for the people and families affected by eating disorders, recovery is not a campaign - it’s a journey that unfolds over months and years. Our responsibility at SYEDA is to walk alongside them, not just when the spotlight shines, but long after.
We’re committed to keeping the conversation, and the support, going all year round.
