Who & Why
You can't keep doing things the same way, while expecting different results....
Eating disorders have long been in need of a new way of understanding them, supporting those who suffer, and creating realistic and sustainable recovery pathways.
We wanted to be audacious, brave, bold and relentless in manifesting that change.
We created Wednesday’s Child with the mantra that:
We can’t all know the way to fix someone’s troubled mind or cure them of their mental health battles or their temporary emotional wounds, but we can do small things to remind them of their worth and their rightful place in this world.
In particular, we evolved from our founder’s experience of two decades lived with an eating disorder – a mental health illness with a high mortality rate and an often frustrating and limited treatment scope.
It’s believed that well over 1.4 million people in the UK alone are officially registered as having an illness such as anorexia or bulimia, but that something equating closer to 4 million, may be contending with disordered eating to some degree.
In a world where it’s all too easy for ‘diet culture’ to play into the minds of those suffering such an illness, and for social media to play an unhelpful role in channelling a certain body type and food approach, we wanted Wednesday’s Child to be a positive and encouraging community for those who desire recovery – at whatever pace.
As a humble starting point, our social enterprise model began as a gift marketplace, to enable curated gestures to be purchased for oneself, or someone else who may be in recovery from an eating disorder.
Since those early days, we've evolved into a provider of 1-2-1 therapy, group recovery support, parent & family therapy, school audits & educational programmes, online learning for healthcare professionals....and a great deal more.
Our services also extend to the invaluable world of befriending, through which the technique of peer mentoring helps us bring lived experience into play and handhold someone through their recovery efforts.
Every one of us has an opportunity to support the health, the happiness, the comfort and contentment of another. We’re delighted to have you as part of our community and welcome your queries at any time.
And about our name:
Wednesday's Child
Sure, that phrase might SAY that ‘Wednesday’s Child is Full of Woe’. It might make anyone born under that badge feel a bit hard done by or disappointed. But let’s be real. Should we be ashamed that we’re battling times of sadness, sorrow, mental and emotional hurt? No. We should be proud that our desire is to conquer this state of mind and to find a happier place for ourselves.
We achieve ‘happy’ collectively. It’s not a journey carried out in isolation. It’s one which includes thoughtful gestures, complete understanding, and an unfailing desire to really listen to the story of every individual and their unique adventure in this world.
A message from Debbie:
Life with an eating disorder can be cruel, uncompromising, and incredibly isolating. I should know. I’ve contended with this life limiting mental health illness for two decades. That’s 20 long years of self-imposed deprivation, harm and denial.
What I’ve learned throughout that angst-ridden journey, is that the disease makes it incredibly difficult for others to ‘wave the wand’ and ‘magic it away’.
Try as they may like to, friends, family and kind-hearted cheerleaders in your world can only go so far in being able to aid your recovery - particularly if they lack true knowledge of the severity of the illness and its devastating impact.
My aspiration for Wednesday's Child continues to be that it is able to ease the suffering of individuals and families affected by an eating disorder.
Already, our work has grown beyond a mere 'gesture box' into providing funded therapy and befriending to hundreds of individuals, as well as educating teachers, frontline healthcare professionals, families and business leaders.
We remain fiercely ambitious and determined in our cause.
Together, through some gestures of kindness and a commitment to understanding,
..we really can help sow seeds for recovery success.