This week is Volunteers' Week! We’re delighted to take the next few days to recognise the fantastic work of all of the people who so generously give their time to Beat, and help us in our mission to end the pain and suffering caused by eating disorders. Volunteers support every area of Beat’s work, allowing us to provide and constantly improve our services, better raise awareness of this important cause, and help people into recovery.
There are lots of ways volunteers get involved with Beat. Ambassadors are living proof that recovery from an eating disorder is possible, and they share a message of hope in schools, universities, workplaces, and more. Media volunteers raise awareness in the press of the many different sides to eating disorders, highlighting the reality of these serious mental illnesses.
Research volunteers help us to be the best advocates possible for people with eating disorders when it comes to policy, sharing their personal experiences for consultations, studies and focus groups. Others with lived experience help shape the tone and content of our healthcare information so that the people we want to help are getting the most out of our resources.
Then there are our tireless fundraisers, who take on remarkable challenges to keep our services running so we can continue to be there for anyone who needs us, and our campaigners, who bravely share their stories with key decision makers in order to make change happen. And of course, our regular office volunteers help out with the essential everyday tasks that allow us to keep everything running smoothly.
Recently, we’ve been able to grow our services thanks to our Echo volunteers, carers who have helped someone into recovery and are now turning that experience into a force for good, helping others caring for a loved one through telephone-based peer support. Meanwhile our new digital volunteers are enabling more people to get the support they need through webchat, email, and online support groups.
This week, we’ll share some of the experiences of those helping us to provide services directly. But today we want to say a huge thank you to everyone who volunteers their time to keep Beat going – we couldn’t do it without you!