What Beat does

Beat is the UK's only nationwide eating disorder charity, founded in 1989 and rebranded from the Eating Disorders Association in February 2007. The organization is registered as a charity in England and Wales (charity number 801343) and Scotland (SC039309), operates as a company limited by guarantee, and is headquartered in Norwich with approximately 100 staff across the four UK nations. Its mission is to end the pain and suffering caused by eating disorders through direct support, awareness raising, professional training, and policy advocacy.

The core service portfolio spans three layers. First, free direct support delivered via a multi-channel helpline (phone, webchat, email, social media DMs), moderated online chatrooms, the Ask Beat Q&A service, and downloadable resources such as the Carers Pack and GP First Steps leaflet. Second, structured programmes for families, carers, education professionals, and healthcare workers, delivered as e-learning (formerly POD for carers and SPOT for education professionals, now consolidated into dedicated hubs), CPD-accredited workshops (Beyond The Symptoms, Bridging the Gap, Spotting the Signs), and commissioned services such as Momentum for binge eating disorder and Nexus telephone coaching. Third, the HelpFinder directory, a searchable UK-wide database of eating disorder support services indexed by postcode and age. Underlying technology is conventional web infrastructure with proprietary content libraries and online learning modules; no proprietary AI capabilities are disclosed.

Beat's revenue model is hybrid and characteristic of a UK mid-sized specialist charity. Unrestricted income comes from individual donations (including recurring £5/month gifting), fundraising events, legacy gifts, and corporate donations. Restricted and programme-specific income flows from trust and foundation grants (National Lottery Community Fund, City Bridge Trust, Garfield Weston Foundation, John Ellerman Foundation, WM Mann Foundation), NHS and public sector commissioning for services such as Momentum, telephone coaching, and training, and corporate partnerships providing paid workplace training, policy reviews, and brand consultancy on a multi-year basis. HelpFinder directory listings operate on annual subscription terms. Pricing for individuals is largely free; corporate and HelpFinder services are individually negotiated. The organization is governed by a Board of Trustees and led day-to-day by Chief Executive Vanessa Longley, appointed in 2025 following a period of interim leadership.

Name

Beat

Legal name

Beat (Formerly Eating Disorders Association)

Website

https://beateatingdisorders.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Beat is the UK's only nationwide eating disorder charity, providing free helplines, peer support, e-learning for carers and professionals, and NHS-commissioned services to individuals affected by eating disorders and their families across all four UK nations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Eating disorder support services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Eating Disorder Treatment Programs (HLAFACAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Eating Disorder Teletherapy Platforms (HLALAEAE), Eating Disorder Recovery Nutrition Support (HSADAFAM), Student Wellness & Prevention Programs (Substance Use, Sexual Health, Bullying) (EDAJAIAG)

Keywords

• Eating disorder support
• Mental health charity
• Eating disorder helpline
• Carer support services
• Clinical training programmes

Headquarters

HQ city

Norwich

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Individual donations, regular giving (£5/month suggested), fundraising events, corporate donations, and legacy gifts
2. Corporate Partnerships: Training modules, policy reviews, and brand consultancy services for corporate clients focused on workplace wellbeing
3. Public Sector Commissioning: Commissioned services for NHS and public sector partners including Momentum (binge eating disorder), telephone coaching, and training programmes. Some services provided free; others pass on costs without profit
4. HelpFinder Subscriptions: Directory listings for professionals and organizations offering eating disorder support, running 12-month terms
5. Trust and Foundation Grants: Grants from major foundations including The National Lottery Community Fund, City Bridge Trust, Garfield Weston Foundation, John Ellerman Foundation, and WM Mann Foundation

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Beat is the UK's eating disorder charity, providing direct support to individuals with eating disorders and their families through helplines, webchat, online chatrooms, the HelpFinder UK-wide support directory, and structured e-learning hubs for carers and education professionals. It also delivers commissioned programmes (e.g., Momentum for binge eating disorder, Nexus telephone coaching, ARFID support), CPD-accredited clinical and education training, and corporate wellbeing partnerships.

Product overview

Beat is a UK-based eating disorder charity offering a comprehensive suite of support services rather than a unified software product. The core service portfolio includes direct support offerings (Helplines, Chatrooms, Ask Beat) and structured support programs (Eating Disorder Support Hub for Families/Friends formerly POD, Education Hub for Professionals formerly SPOT). Beat also provides commissioned public sector services including Momentum for binge eating disorder, ARFID-specific family support programs, telephone coaching (Nexus), peer support groups (Endeavour), and skills-based workshop series (Developing Dolphins, Harnessing Hope). Professional training services include CPD-accredited courses (Beyond The Symptoms, Bridging the Gap, Spotting the Signs) and co-production consultancy. The HelpFinder directory serves as a searchable database of UK eating disorder support services. Corporate partnership offerings include HR training, policy reviews, and brand consultancy. The organization also provides downloadable resources including the Carers Pack and GP First Steps leaflet.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HelpFinder: A searchable database of help and support services for people with eating disorders in the United Kingdom.
• Momentum
• Eating Disorder Support Hub for Families and Friends (formerly POD)
• Eating Disorder Hub for Education Professionals (formerly SPOT)
• Developing Dolphins
• Harnessing Hope

Products and services

• Helplines Confidential support service providing assistance by phone, web chat, DM on social media and email for individuals affected by eating disorders and their families.
• Online Support (Chatrooms and Message Boards) Online peer-support chatrooms and message boards where individuals affected by eating disorders can log in and connect with others who share similar experiences.
• Ask Beat Online question-and-answer service that addresses commonly asked questions about eating disorders, complementing the helpline and peer-support services.
• HelpFinder Searchable UK-wide directory of eating disorder support services, allowing users to find NHS services, Beat services, charities, independent treatment centres, accredited therapists and dietitians by postcode and age; it also accepts paid 12-month listings from professionals and organisations.
• Eating Disorder Support Hub for Families and Friends (formerly POD) E-learning platform providing carer skills, knowledge and wellbeing support for family and friends supporting someone with an eating disorder, structured through modules, webinars and forums.
• Eating Disorder Hub for Education Professionals (formerly SPOT) E-learning platform for school and college professionals to identify and support students with eating disorders, featuring interactive modules and expert-led webinars.
• Momentum Guided self-help programme for adults with binge eating disorder, commissioned by NHS and public sector partners and delivered as 8 weekly sessions.
• ARFID Support for Family Members (formerly Anchor) Commissioned support service for carers of individuals with Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) or displaying ARFID behaviours.
• Eating Disorder Support for Family Members (formerly Nexus) Commissioned telephone coaching service providing 12 weeks of 40-minute phone calls (extended to 50 minutes in the first week) for carers of anyone aged 13+ with an eating disorder.
• ARFID Peer Support Group for Family Members (formerly Endeavour) Commissioned online peer support group offering weekly 90-minute sessions over 8 weeks for carers of young people aged 5-15 with ARFID.
• Developing Dolphins Commissioned online workshop series providing practical guidance to help carers tackle common challenges, with weekly 2.5-hour sessions over 8 weeks, focused on developing skills for carers of anyone in the first 5 years of an eating disorder.
• Harnessing Hope Commissioned online workshop series providing practical guidance for carers of adults aged 18+ with eating disorders present for 5 or more years, delivered weekly over 5 weeks.
• Beyond The Symptoms CPD-accredited training course for healthcare professionals to identify and act on early signs of eating disorders, including risk management and MEED guidelines.
• Bridging the Gap CPD-accredited training course for university-based professionals to understand the challenges students face with eating disorders and learn how to support them.
• Eating Disorder Training for Secondary School and College Professionals (formerly Spotting the Signs) Clinician-led CPD-accredited training course to help education professionals in secondary schools and colleges spot and act on early signs of eating disorders, available online or face-to-face as a full-day session.
• Understanding Eating Disorders Introductory 2.5-hour online training course delivered by clinical trainers covering the main eating disorders, signs and signposting.
• Co-production with Beat Consultancy, facilitation and training service for co-production in the design, delivery and review of eating disorder services, offered to NHS, public sector and other organisations.
• Corporate Partnership Training Tailored training modules for HR professionals and managers to spot signs of eating disorders, understand issues for those supporting loved ones, and support staff access treatment.
• Policy and Procedure Reviews Expert consultancy helping organisations ensure their policy documentation reflects awareness, support and best-in-class employment standards for eating disorders.
• Brand and Marketing Consultancy Consultancy service to ensure that an organisation's brand, product and marketing have a positive impact on people affected by or vulnerable to eating disorders.
• Weight Loss Medications (GLP-1s) and Eating Disorders Workshop Half-day online workshop for clinicians and professionals exploring challenges and opportunities associated with weight loss medications (GLP-1s) and eating disorders.

Quantifiable outcome

• 45,000+ direct support sessions provided annually
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Milano Pro SportminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership where Milano Pro Sport sells Milo Bear products with 20% of profits donated to Beat, helping raise funds and awareness.
• NHScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerServices co-developed with NHS partners; NHS commissioners can access Beat programmes including Momentum, telephone coaching, and training. Beat's Clinical Advisory Group includes senior NHS health professionals.
• Academic institutionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnerships and academic collaboration for eating disorder research and evidence-based service development.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• YoungMinds: YoungMinds is the UK's leading children and young people's mental health charity, where Beat's CEO Vanessa Longley previously served. It overlaps with Beat on youth mental health and professional training but addresses all mental health conditions rather than specialising in eating disorders.
• Mind: Mind is the UK's leading mental health charity, providing information, support, and advocacy across all mental health conditions including eating disorders. As a broader incumbent, Mind overlaps with Beat on mental health support but lacks Beat's eating-disorder specialisation.
• Mental Health Foundation: The Mental Health Foundation is a UK charity focused on prevention and research across mental health. Beat's trustee Chris Martin also sits on its board. Comparable in advocacy and public-facing awareness but operates at a broader mental health remit.
• Samaritans: Samaritans is the UK's primary emotional support helpline charity, comparable to Beat's helpline operations in delivery model (24/7 phone, webchat, email support) though it serves all emotional distress rather than eating disorders specifically.

Emerging players

• Equip Health: Equip is a US-based virtual eating disorder treatment provider delivering family-based treatment (FBT) via telehealth. Comparable to Beat in patient and family focus but is a clinical treatment provider rather than a charity.

Direct peers

• F.E.A.S.T. (Families Empowered and Supporting Treatment of Eating Disorders): F.E.A.S.T. is an international nonprofit dedicated to supporting carers of people with eating disorders, providing education, resources, and a global caregiver community. Highly comparable to Beat's POD (Family Hub) offering and carer-focused programmes.
• National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA): NEDA is the leading US eating disorders nonprofit, providing helplines, support groups, screening tools, and professional training. It is the most direct international peer to Beat, operating a near-identical service model across helplines, peer support, education, and advocacy in a different geography.
• ANAD (National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders): ANAD is a US nonprofit providing free support groups, helpline services, and education for people affected by eating disorders. Directly comparable to Beat in offering peer support and education, focused on a different national market.

Regional players

• Eating Disorders Victoria: Eating Disorders Victoria is the Victorian state peak body for eating disorders, providing support, information, advocacy, and professional education. Comparable service mix to Beat but focused on a single Australian state.
• Butterfly Foundation: Butterfly Foundation is Australia's national eating disorder charity, offering helplines, online support, professional training, and advocacy. Comparable in scope and service mix to Beat, but operating exclusively in Australia.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/beated
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/beatingED
• Facebookfacebook.com/beat.eating.disorders
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/beat---beating-eating-disorders
• Instagraminstagram.com/beatedsupport/?hl=en
• TikToktiktok.com/@beat_uk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Beat