We’re now Talk ED. Here’s why. 

As Anorexia and Bulimia Care we’ve supported hundreds of thousands of people facing an eating disorder and their family and friends. We are immensely proud of what we’ve achieved over the past 32 years, but we know our charity must evolve to continually improve our personalised support services so we reach the people that need us most.

To mark this new chapter, we are relaunching as Talk ED. We’re the same organisation and the same dedicated team, but we have a brand new identity to represent the charity we are today, to clearly communicate who we are here to help, and to celebrate what we do best.

“We are very excited to announce that Anorexia and Bulimia Care has relaunched as Talk ED. Our new identity aims to stay true to our core purpose and values, whilst adding clarity about how we reach more people struggling with eating disorders, and those supporting them.

We intend our new name to reflect how we work to break down the barriers and stigma that still surround eating disorders, making a bigger difference to those who need our support.

We hope it will also become a catalyst for raising vital funds to help us to continue to provide our services and explore new ones. We are confident our new name and brand is relevant for today and futureproofed for tomorrow.”

Joanne Byrne, Chief Executive

Why now?

Last year we undertook extensive research, speaking to many of the people we support as well as those who have since recovered, professionals working within eating disorders in the UK, other charities, advocates, and of course our own team of staff and volunteers. We asked what they thought of our charity, services, approach, and identity, and we talked about the many challenges faced by the eating disorder community. We were delighted to hear the positives; how personal, warm and caring our team is; the value of lived experience in the empathy and understanding offered; and how our services are much appreciated (and in some cases a lifeline) by those who access them.

However, this research highlighted the need for greater awareness of our services and told us overwhelmingly that clarity was required to help people understand who we support, and how we can help. Our name was seen a potential barrier to people living with an eating disorder other than anorexia or bulimia. Whilst we support people with any type of eating disorder, our name indicated differently. Our website was also due a much-needed update and our branding widely considered to be quite dated.   

We could see the opportunities for us as an organisation to focus on what is important in fighting eating disorders as we emerge from the devastating effects of the global pandemic. With demand for eating disorder services at unprecedented levels, the need for charities such as ours to be there for people struggling at any stage of their journey, those on long waiting lists, and those that fall outside the criteria required for specialist care, has never been greater.

The impact of the pandemic has affected the way in which people engage with us and access our support, and we have made strides to adapt our services to meet those changing needs. We’ve launched bookable 1:1 support calls with a choice of telephone, video call or online chat, offering a safe space to talk to our dedicated and experienced peer support team, as well as online support groups and recovery-focussed workshops.

Why Talk ED?

When the charity was founded in 1989, anorexia and bulimia were the only recognised eating disorders. There are now many others, including binge eating disorder, other specified feeding and eating disorders (OSFED,) and avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID). The many people struggling with these, other types of eating distress, or undiagnosed conditions, did not realise that we were here for them too.

We need a name that is at once relevant and inclusive to everyone and anyone that might be affected by any eating disorder, and regardless of gender, age, background, or identity.

There is still too much stigma surrounding eating disorders; they thrive in isolation and secrecy, and the pandemic has only intensified this. Many people who have recovered from eating disorders tell us that talking about their struggles was the most crucial step in their own journey, and we know how much courage this takes. We wanted our branding to encourage people to open up and break down the silence by starting a conversation. To help them to take brave steps towards recovery. To talk to us.

Our research showed that Talk ED:

• Focusses on being open and encouraging conversation
• Is bold and confident, capturing the essence of who we are and what we do
• Is authentic, personal, friendly, and accessible
• Is short, memorable, proactive, natural language and easy to spell
• Uses a simple font that has character and a warm and friendly colour palette
• Emphasises the connection and community aspects of our service
• Recognises therapeutic talking as an important, evidence-based early intervention and recovery support treatment

To support our new name, we have a brand-new website too. We’ve worked hard to make it easier to use and to find the most important information. We’ve also included ‘Real Talk’, a platform for people to share blogs, tips, and real recovery stories to provide hope and inspiration for others.     

Our new brand and website was developed through an inclusive process to ensure involvement, relevance, longevity, and impact.

“I am very excited for Anorexia and Bulimia Care to start its next chapter as Talk ED. The move captures where the charity is today – caring, open, and offering accessible support for so many people in the UK, whereby talking with our dedicated team could be a lifeline.

On a personal note, talking helped me start my own recovery from bulimia and as Talk ED the charity will help many more.”

Daniel Magson, Chair

What’s next?

This is just the start. As Talk ED we aim to be much bolder and have a louder voice for people with an eating disorder, empowering them to get the care they deserve. 

We want to improve our resources in the area of prevention, recognition, and early intervention; help with the fight for better training and service provision; normalise conversations about eating disorders, and to explore ways to collaborate more.

There is much to do, however we are a small but determined team! We hope you’ll come with us on the journey. Together our voices are so much stronger. Together we can drive change.

We’re Talk ED and we’re here to talk eating disorders.