Charity to expand as eating disorder referrals rise
BBCA Derby-based eating disorder charity says it saw a 10% increase in referrals for its NHS and private services in 2024.
First Steps ED, which operates around the UK, is hoping to increase capacity by 2026 so it can help 4,000 people per year, up from 3,000 last year.
Tilly Wiggins, 18, was helped by the charity after they were diagnosed with anorexia nervosa in 2021.
They said: "The hardest part of recovery is talking to somebody. It's so difficult to admit that something is wrong."
A 2023 NHS England survey found rates of eating problems among young people had risen markedly after the Covid-19 pandemic, compared to surveys before 2020.
Researchers said the data suggested an increase in referrals was due to increased numbers of people with the disorders, rather than increased awareness of the conditions or services to treat them.
It is estimated that between 1.25m and 3.4m people in the UK are affected by an eating disorder, according to charities like First Steps ED and Beat.
Their research indicates between a fifth and a quarter of people with anorexia, bulimia or another eating disorder are male.
Tilly, who received support through First Steps ED, said they have had eating difficulties their whole life, with both binge eating and restrictive eating.
They said before getting help, the eating disorder was "consuming my brain" and that they "didn't really know how to get out".
Tilly said the help they received had "taught me how to recover, why I wanted to recover. Because I had a great life before the eating disorder".
Tilly is aiming to do a bungee jump in the summer as part of their recovery to raise money for the charity.
- Details of help and support for people eating disorders are available via the BBC Action Line
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