eating disorders in wales

Hi, i’m Rowenna Menzies. Welcome to the Graham Menzies Foundation blog!

We are a small charity aiming to improve the treatment and support services available for people in Wales who suffer from an eating disorder.

Beat estimate that there are 58,000 people currently suffering in Wales, and that 20% will die (the highest fatality rate of any mental illness). Available support is patchy and under-developed, with no services at all in many parts of the country.

We are currently constructing a comprehensive data base of all support facilities – this will be available to everybody via our web site… I am also a member of the Welsh Assembly’s “Cross Party Eating Disorder Group” chaired by Bethan Jenkins AM. Our long term plans include the establishment of the first specialist Welsh residential unit for adults, and we are exploring a range of funding options to that end.

I am thrilled to have received so much support from the press, assembly members and from other voluntary sector organisations. Many thanks to all who have helped us get this far!

I hope that you enjoy this blog. It is updated on a daily basis and progress reports are published on the last day of every month for a quick overview – so book mark me!

I will be writing at a broad range of levels… please use the links at the right hand side of this page to find the subjects that most interest you. There are personal stories, statistics that may be helpful for funding applications, thoughtful discussions about related areas (feminism, self-image etc), up-dates on what’s happening with eating disorders in Wales and links and suggestions for further reading.

If you have any thoughts, ideas, questions or responses then please leave a comment or e-mail me. I will always be pleased to hear from you!

Kind regards,

Rowenna