I have never fundraised or done a sponsored anything in my life and going into my 40th year, I had the idea suddenly that I wanted to do this, it felt right.  I’ve also always felt that with so many illnesses out there in need of awareness and funding, it was somehow selfish to try to do it for something which I myself suffer with.  But in saying this to a friend, she simply replied “Surely that is all the more reason TO do it?”  

And so, I am going to go for it – with a huge amount of trepidation that it is something people feel they would like to donate to, and I guess beyond that, have the chance to be involved in if they feel brave enough! 

Out of nowhere, at the beginning of January, on a cold yet crisp sunshine drenched beach, I had the idea.  I had actually been thinking about the approach of eating disorders awareness week coming up from 28th Feb- 5th March 2022 and at the same time how I was here sea swimming.  And how discovering that and the people who I’ve come to know here has been life affirming, life changing and undoubtedly lifesaving. And so I suppose it was only natural that what I came up with would involve the beach, the sea and people  

And my idea was this - I want to attempt to get a whole line of people, holding hands along the shoreline and spread the word far and wide enough in the hope that we might achieve a whole unbroken line from the Groyne rocks at lodmoor, stretching as far to the end as Cafe Oasis at Preston. 

Taking place on Saturday 5th March at 10.15am  

A whole line of people, all holding hands and then together, walking out into the sea.  It might sound a bit mad, and a bit unappealing in the middle of winter but all of those things together symbolise something so meaningful to me and after so many years of illness, truly represent the cause I am trying to highlight.  In all those years, I have been blessed in being surrounded by people in my world who have all at one point or another, in their many different ways, held my hand either physically or metaphorically and have never let go.  They have done that in all seasons and all weathers, in my middle of winter times as much as they do in the better times and they are the reason that I am still here today.  So many people with eating disorders suffer alone and in silence and simply don’t have the people around them or the access to services to help them that I have had or that they deserve.  And that is why the charity Beat is so important in the work that it does.  It is there, providing a lifeline to so many people, supporting them and saving them.  Being accessible to sufferers who have access to little else, who have nowhere else to turn, no one else to talk to in their hardest of times.  

I don’t think there is a person on the planet who hasn’t been deeply affected by the pandemic and quite frankly, we are all sick of the word ‘Covid’ but the impact the pandemic had on people with eating disorders was huge.  It was the perfect storm for the illness to thrive, for people to relapse, being so isolated and to have their access to services and therapists taken away.  There was a huge surge in cases and an even bigger unmanageable demand for referrals and Beat saw an exponential rise in people desperately trying to access help. 

They extended telephone lines and online chat advisors and worked tirelessly to help anyone who was struggling and in need – and they are still doing that in the continued fallout from the past two years. 

I am lucky, I am supported and my hands are held by my people.  Without them, I don’t know where I would be.  

And so I am doing this for all those who don’t have what I have.   Who aren’t as lucky as I am. Who face this alone and with no one and I cannot imagine the despair of how that must feel. And for whom Beat are their only lifeline. 

And beyond that even, for the pilot projects they are launching to tackle early intervention in new ways and better educate GPs in catching the signs and symptoms early.  It is something I feel passionately about, to stop anyone ever having to endure what I have. Because it’s been nothing short of hell and if I could stop just one person from ever having to experience that then I will do whatever it takes. 

Getting the right help in the early stages is so critical in preventing them becoming lifelong and life threatening afflictions.  They carry the highest mortality rate of all mental illness and in raising money for Beat, I like to think that we will be saving lives, which is a pretty incredible thing to do.  Even more incredible than walking into the sea in the middle of winter you might say! 

Maybe I will manage to badger enough people into coming along and joining my line and achieving the image I dream of when I think about how awesome that would look and feel to everyone in it.  Maybe I won’t manage many at all.  I don’t know the answer to that.  But what I do know is that I want to try, because this means too much to me not to. 

So please, if you feel you’d like to show your support – donate to the cause, join my line.  Just donate.  Just join the line.  Do both – the choice in that is yours. And even if you don’t feel you can do either, maybe just tell a friend and maybe they’ll be mad enough to give it a go...... 

Thanks for taking the time to read, and thank you also to anyone in my world who has been there.  Holding my hand xx 

If you are going to join the line of hands on the sand, please visit the Facebook Page (search 'Hands on the Sand) and then click on the Event tab. Please register your attendance by hitting the 'going' button. 

In order to get an idea of the number of people planning to help reach the target, please only register if you are as sure as anyone ever really can be these days, that you are intending to participate. Thank you🙂