A Year in Review: Leaning on our SWEDA Community

34 years ago, SWEDA started as a small, local support group for families supporting loved ones affected by eating disorders. Then in June 1994, we became a registered charity in order to grow our support for our local community.

So if there’s a time of the year that feels special to SWEDA, June feels like the 'birthday' month for us. It’s a moment to reflect on how our community has grown year on year: 

• All the individuals who have bravely made that first step towards recovery with us
• The families who have found their way to SWEDA in search of a listening ear,
• And the brilliant, compassionate counsellors, support workers and support staff who work with us.

And, in the last year, our community has grown in yet another way. 2025 was the year we really started to reach out and ask all of you if you could help keep our services going. We’ve been amazed by the efforts we’ve seen!  

Our Fundraising Manager, Gavin, shares some reflections from a remarkable year at SWEDA:

“As we celebrate our birthday, it’s a great time to look back at what we have achieved with our fundraising over the past year. Back in June 2025, our ‘Great Make’ campaign brought crafters and crochet groups together across the region, including wrapping Market Cross in (possibly) the longest scarf ever seen in Shepton Mallet, followed by more creativity and craft at the annual Stitch Fest in Weston-Super-Mare. This launched a wave of community projects at Bath Spa, Uni of Bath and Bristol University, including bake sales, knitathons, ceramic makes, salsa routines, cabaret, theatre, wellbeing and yoga events. 

Our supporters have also gone to truly extraordinary lengths to raise funds. Mark & Emma Champion completed the 500-mile Camino de Santiago walk, raising over £5K for SWEDA last June, thanks to generous donations from their Bridgwater community. 

Corporates also showed their support for SWEDA, with raffle prize donations and by signing up to sponsor or attend our events. The At4Networking group highlighting our work in Bristol also helped build a strong relationship with the city, culminating in our first Laughing Matters comedy event at Bristol Hippodrome, bringing nearly 2,000 people together to raise over £50K in one night. Using comedy to help raise awareness of our work became a key theme, with comedian Dave Chawner (who not only has lived experience of an eating disorder but has written a book on the subject) doing a show for us at The Wardrobe Theatre and then becoming a SWEDA ambassador. 

Following our first ‘Bingo Bash’ event at Komedia Bath in December, we began a series of comedy events at independent Bristol restaurants. ‘Side Dish’ raised £9K for the charity in January, followed in April by launching our ‘Firewalk’ event at Wells Cathedral, cementing an ongoing relationship with supporters, community groups and business leaders in the town. Over 40 participants braved the flames and raised nearly £10K. The event was even featured in the national newspapers. 

With another Laughing Matters show coming up in July and the return of the Firewalk next April, the year to come promises to be another exciting year for SWEDA as we look to raise awareness and vital funds for our growing number of specialist services. Whether you sang for us at community choirs, put on cinema screenings, hosted quiz nights or organised dance workshops, we are so grateful to every fundraiser who supported people affected by eating disorders through our work. It has made a huge difference and we couldn’t do any of this without you. Thank you.”

The difference we’ve made thanks to you:

This past year, SWEDA have been able to provide specialist 1-2-1 support to over 1,500 people affected by eating disorders. Our Children and Young People’s therapists have supported 260 young people with taking their first steps towards eating disorder recovery. And our growing outreach work at local events means that over 15,000 people have had a chance to discover our services and start a conversation about how they’ve been personally impacted by eating disorders. 

 
Interested in fundraising for our cause? Take a look at our Fundraising Pack for tips on how to get started.

Part of a business looking to support your local mental health charity? Get in touch with our Fundraising Manager, Gavin, at [email protected] to find out about how we can work together.