Eating disorder support charity finds new home

Gemma Oaten talking to The Hull Story

By Rick Lyon

An eating disorder support service that was facing an uncertain future has been thrown a lifeline.

SEED (Support and Empathy for People with Eating Disorders) is having to move from its base at Hull’s NHS Wilberforce Health Centre because of funding cuts.

Actress Gemma Oaten, Manager and Patron of the charity, which was founded by her parents Marg and Dennis 22 years ago after her own eating disorder battle, launched a fundraising appeal last month to find a new location.

Now, space has been made available for SEED’s Resource Room at the Ellesmere Counselling and Psychotherapy Training (ECPT) centre on Beverley Road.

The room will be complemented by access to specialist facilities, including one-to-one talking therapy rooms and group rooms. This will enable SEED to kickstart its new face-to-face counselling service, in partnership with psychotherapy and counselling students from ECPT.

Established for over 15 years, ECPT is a specialist in training and supporting counsellors and psychotherapists and provides facilities to support private therapists.

ECPT has trained and accredited numerous counsellors and psychotherapists in the area, many of whom have progressed to work in private practice locally or in roles for the NHS and other mental health organisations.

Gemma Oaten and Debbie Thomson, Service Manager at SEED

Gemma said: “We’re relieved to have found somewhere to call home so we can carry on providing support to those in need, and we would like to say a huge thank you to those who have donated to our ongoing fundraiser, which has provided valuable funds towards our work and will go towards securing our new Resource Room.

“What we do is very labour intensive. We’re proud of our professional team, and we need to keep them in place for as long as possible.

“Early intervention is key and we at SEED are passionate about treating the person and not the eating disorder. The Resource Room is a vital hub to facilitate our life saving work.”

ECPT Director Kathie Hostick said: “We’re delighted that we have been able to help SEED continue their valuable work by facilitating them at one of our centres.

“We hope to see them continue to grow and provide support to those experiencing eating disorders from across the region and the UK.

“We’re looking forward to working with them on developing their talking therapy service, which in turn provides valuable frontline clinical experience for our counselling and psychotherapy students. It’s an exciting time for us.”

• Read about SEED’s new Recovery after the Recovery eating disorder support programme here.