This week is national Eating Disorder Awareness Week, and aptly, our next charity is Manx Eating Disorder Support (Charity 1097). We spoke to co-founder and volunteer coordinator, Georgie Shelley, about the life-saving work they do.

Who are you / What do you do?

Manx Eating Disorder Support is a small charity first registered in March 2012. We have reached a milestone this month with it being our 10th anniversary.

The object and main purpose of the charity is to provide counselling and psychological support and promote recovery for individuals experiencing eating disorders or eating issues, as well as to family members/ partners/significant others if required.

Our service is open to anyone who is having eating issues - a previous diagnosis of an eating disorder is not necessary. The charity aims to reach people in the early stages of developing an eating disorder, as the sooner a person gets help, the better their chance of recovery.

In doing this, we hope to support the vital work of the Community Mental Health Service.

Our one to one support service can help with identifying the psychological causes of a wide range of eating issues.

These include problems such as a preoccupation with food and weight, negative body image, emotional eating, and eating disorders such as binge eating disorder, bulimia and some cases of anorexia.

These sessions can help individuals overcome emotional difficulties and change unhelpful patterns of thought and behaviour.

Other services provided by the charity have included raising community awareness through public talks and talks in schools for both students and staff. We hope to restart this important work again in the future once we have expanded as a charity.

People with eating disorders often use disordered eating behaviour as a way of coping with challenging situations and/or feelings.

It is not usually one single thing that contributes to the start of an eating disorder, but a combination of different things.

Disordered eating behaviour can include restricting the amount of food eaten, eating large quantities of food at once, getting rid of food eaten by unhealthy means, or a combination of these behaviours.

It is important to remember that an eating disorder is never the fault of the person experiencing it. Anyone who has an eating disorder deserves help quickly so they can have the best chance of recovery.

Eating disorders are treatable conditions - and with the appropriate treatment a full recovery is possible. Taking the first step towards recovery is often a difficult one and the charity aims to ensure that people have the support they need to take that step.

The most important thing is getting the most appropriate treatment as quickly as possible. We can help guide people through the various options available.

We always recommend speaking to your doctor/ GP alongside any support from the charity.

Why/When did you form?

I experienced issues in my late teenage years and twenties, and received support while living in the UK, and attended various support groups, run by the Beat network - the largest charity of its kind.

Upon returning to the Isle of Man, and once in recovery, I wanted to look into setting up something similar on the island.

After being put in touch with another person who shared these goals, we both trained as support group co-facilitators with the Beat charity in the UK and together set up Manx Eating Disorder Support.

We first launched as a support group, followed by a separate group for carers, and in 2015, we were able to offer a one-to-one confidential support service provided by a psychotherapist.

Currently we have two professionals, who offer their services on a part-time basis. They are psychologist and psychotherapist Claudia Schubert, and volunteer counsellor, Nina Jensen.

What has been your biggest achievement since forming?

Being able to adapt throughout the pandemic to be able to continue to support those who asked for help whilst the world has been through so many struggles.

This was done via video calls or voice call over Zoom or WhatsApp, and also telephone calls.

The charity also had to adapt as personnel changed at the start of 2020, so as a small local charity it was a big challenge to be able to keep offering the support needed (even without the pandemic).

What is your biggest ambition?

Our main aim is to continue to offer support and be able to meet local demand in a positive and appropriate way.

Our ambition is to grow the small team of existing counsellor and psychologist who offer specialised professional support, which will allow us to expand the service. This will allow us to promote the charity more widely on the island.

Our frontline service, in whatever appropriate future format it takes, will always remain the main focus and objective of the charity.

We also recognise the strength of our small team of volunteers on the charity committee who quietly make a difference.

how can people get involved?

The charity welcomes contact from people interested in helping the charity with website updates, leaflets and posters, or being in the building while a professional is seeing clients.

We are looking for help with the expansion of our Eating Disorder Support Service. We would like to invite anyone interested in offering counselling or psychological support on a part-time basis to get in touch. It could be an hour or two each week, or a few hours each week, depending on availability and other commitments.

We are particularly interested in talking to professionals with a recognised qualification, for example, from the British Association of Counselling Psychologists or the British Psychological Society, and who have had some experience around eating disorders, supporting either adults or young people or both.

Also, we’d love to hear from anyone interested in helping the charity expand and develop, and who may have supported a charity previously or been on a charity committee or board.

Where can people find you and where can they donate?

Appointments are held at a convenient Douglas location outside working hours. To contact Manx Eating Disorder Support, call, text or WhatsApp Georgie Shelley on 07624 330922 or email [email protected]

Website: www.manxeatingdisordersupport.com / Facebook page: Manx Eating Disorder Support

Donations are always gratefully received, no matter how small. You can donate by BACS transfer to: Manx Eating Disorder Support, Account number 03822605, Sort code 40-19-38. Or by sending a cheque to the charity’s registered address: Hampton Croft, Clannagh Road, Santon, Isle of Man IM4 2HP.

l If you would like to be featured, email: [email protected]