27th November 2018
People in Hertfordshire suffering from eating disorders are now able to attend a specialist eating disorder programme at our Stevenage centre thanks to a £60k grant from The Masonic Charitable Foundation.
It is estimated that around 1.2 percent of the UK population are living with an eating disorder, more than 13,000 of them being in Hertfordshire.
Against this backdrop, The Living Room, which treats people who suffer with alcohol, substance and behavioural addictions, is going to launch its Disordered Eating group in December. The service will have a capacity for up to 15 people who are affected by conditions such as anorexia, binge-eating and bulimia. It will benefit people like Jill, who attended a disordered eating group at The Living Room’s St Albans centre two years ago:
“Finding something that truly contributes to the long term healing of an eating disorder can be very difficult, and this is what I found at the Living Room. I’m so grateful for all the help and support they gave me. I’m delighted that this generous support from Hertfordshire Freemasons will allow more people with eating disorders to get the support they need.”
The Living Room hopes to treat 90 people over three years at the Disordered Eating group. The grant from Hertfordshire Freemasons comes through the Masonic Charitable Foundation, which is funded by Freemasons, their families and friends, from across England and Wales.
From l to r Chris Noble (Hertfordshire Freemasons), Adrienne Arthurs (TLR CEO), Mark Wiseman (Fundraising Manager), Jill (former client) and Jay Patel (Herfordshire Freemasons).
Adrienne Arthurs, Chief Executive at The Living Room, said:
“We’re really grateful to Hertfordshire Freemasons for their generous grant. Eating Disorders are notoriously difficult to treat. There’s a great deal of stigma about the condition and, even when a sufferer recognises they need help, treatment is hard to come by. We can now offer a weekly treatment programme that will be free and non-time-limited.”
Jay Patel, from Hertfordshire Freemasons, said:
“We’re very pleased to be able to help The Living Room, which is doing excellent work helping people with eating disorders. These are conditions which are terrible for individuals and their families and it’s wonderful news that a new treatment programme is available.”