A leading eating disorder charity has reported a 233% increase in carers contacting them for support in 2020-21, in comparison to the previous year.

From April 2019-March 2020, Beat received 1,108 requests for support to its helpline services from London based carers.

From April 2020-March 2021, Beat received 3,639 requests, an increase of 233%.

Beat, the UK's leading eating disorder charity has launched a new support service to help South-West-London based carers, including those in Teddington.

The charity said the pandemic has had a massive impact on people suffering with an eating disorder and their families.

This demand has been tough, but they have been able to manage it with further resources and the re-juggling of services, as well as their success in acquiring further funding from commissioning groups.

Beat has been working with the Healthy London Partnership as well as the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation trust to provide these services across the region.

Beat offers one to one guidance to each family's specific situation with GPs now also being able to refer people straight to Beat for support.

Emma Broadhurst, one of Beat's National Officers spoke to Nub News about the increase in demand for support from the charity.

Broadhurst said: "We know that eating disorders thrive in isolation, they're a sneaky and serious illness."

The pandemic threw off people's routines.

Broadhurst continued, "You're more isolated with a different routine. You can't go out in the same way.

"It was the perfect conditions for an eating disorder to bloom and take over."

Due to the nature of the pandemic, people have been coming for help a lot later than usual which means they are sicker.

Broadhurst said this could have been helped if there was better access to services but more funding is paramount now to ensure that help is there for those who need it.

"I think we're beginning to open the lid on mental health, we're getting a lot better at talking about it but within that eating disorders are still not there.

"Unless you have had an eating disorder or a close friend or relative has, it is still hard to talk about it.

"I think that is what part of the challenge is with carers in particular, you don't want to open up and admit that your child, partner, mother, whoever it is, has an eating disorder and that's the point we need to get to and until we're at that point, we have a long way to go."

Beat has launched a weekly telephone coaching service for carers, parents and siblings called Nexus.

It has also launched a peer support group hosted over Zoom where carers can connect with each other and speak to people in similar situations, while an eating disorder specialist is also present. This service is called Solace.

Beat provides Helplines for people of all ages, offering support and information about eating disorders no matter where you are in your journey.

You can call their Helpline on 0808 801 0677, the Studentline on 0808 801 0811 or the Youthline on 0808 801 0711.

Helplines are free to call from all phones and open 365 days a year ,from 9am–8pm during the week, and 4pm–8pm on weekends and bank holidays.

If you are in need of urgent help for yourself or someone else outside of Beat's Helpline opening hours, please contact 999 or the Samaritans on 116 123 if you or someone else is in immediate danger.