Eating Disorders Awareness Wales - Ymwybyddiaeth Anhwylderau Bwyta Cymru

Cyfarfod Nesaf/ Next Meeting- guest speaker Sam Thomas

2009-04-22T06:47:00.001-07:00

The next meeting of the cross party group on eating disorders will be on the 9th of June at 6pm, Conference room 21 at the National Assembly for Wales.

Sam Thomas who runs the website Men get eating disorders too - a website to support men with eating disorders, will be the guest speaker at the event. Sam is travelling all the way from Brighton to give a presentation on his work, so we would appreciate people attending to hear his own story.

Bydd cyfarfod nesaf y grwp trawsbleidiol ar anhwylderau bwyta ar y 9fed o Fehefin am 6 yr hwyr, Ystafell Gynhadledd 21, Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru.

Mi fydd Sam Thomas sydd yn rhedeg y wefan Men get eating disorders too- gwefan i gefnogi dynion yn benodol sydd yn dioddef o anhwylder bwyta, yn siarad i'r grwp. Bydd Sam yn teithio'r holl ffordd o Brighton i siarad gyda ni, felly byddai'n dda i bobl dod i rhoi cefnogaeth iddo, ac i glywed ei stori.

Men Get Eating Disorders Too

2009-04-07T07:10:00.001-07:00

Here is a blog based on a press release from Sam Thomas who has started a campaign in the form of a website to raise awareness about men who have eating disorders

Dyma flog gan Sam Thomas, wedi selio ar ddatganiad i'r wasg, sydd wedi dechrau ymgyrch ar ffurf wefan i godi ymwybyddiaeth am ddynion sydd a anhwylderau bwyta.

'Men Get Eating Disorders Too' is a new website for men who have been affected by eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder) and associated exercise disorders (compulsive exercise and 'Bigorexia.') The aim of the site is to raise awareness of eating disorders in men so they can seek support.

Sam Thomas, 23, set up to help others after enduring years of eating problems brought on by homophobic bullying at school. Reflecting on these experiences he realised there was little help out there for men with eating problems, which led to the idea for the site and may be the first eating disorder site of its kind that is soley aimed at men.

"I intially sought help when I was 16. I saw an after hours doctor because I was in completely desperate situation.

"At 18, when I got help then, I did tell my regular doctor what I was dealing with and they said to me 'You're just depressed.'

"If I was a female with the exact set of situations I was going through with my bulimia then I would have probably got help a lot quicker."

The 'Men Get Eating Disorders Too' campaign is petitioning the government to encourage better service provision for male eating disorder sufferers http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/men-eds/

Sam Thomas says he hopes the site will help the thousands of men to talk about their condition more and realise they are not alone. The site provides information and advice that is specific to males and a message board so users can share their experiences and offer peer support.

Here is a link to the site: www.megetedstoo.co.uk, which includes Sam's and other men's personal stories.

David Samuel's video for Beat/Fideo David Samuel ar gyfer Beat

2009-04-07T04:03:00.000-07:00

Mae David wedi bod yn rhan gweithgar o'r grwp trawsbleidiol ar anhwylderau bwyta. Dyma fideo am ei frwydr ef ag anorecsia a wnaeth ar gyfer yr elusen Beat.

David has been an active member of the cross party group on eating disorders. Here is a video of his fight to beat anorexia that he did with the chairty Beat.

Date of the Cross party group/ Dyddiad y grwp trawsbleidiol nesaf

2009-03-24T07:30:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to let people know that the next cross party group on eating disorders is set to take place on the 1st of April at the National Assembly for Wales at 6pm. If you are interested in attending then just turn up at the reception of Ty Hywel ( the red brick building in the Bay) and you will be shown to the room where the meeting takes place. If you want more information email bethan.jenkins@wales.gov.uk.

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Mi oeddwn i moyn hysbysebu'r ffaith bod y grwp trawsbleidiol nesaf ar anhwylderau bwyta yn digwydd ar y 1af o Ebrill am 6 yr hwyr yn Nhy Hywel ( adeilad bric coch yn y Bae). Ewch yno ac yna fe fydd rhywun yn eich dangos i'r ystafell gyfarfod. Os ydych chi angen mwy o wybodaeth yna ebostiwch bethan.jenkins@wales.gov.uk

Ali Valenzuela's book ' Weighing it Up' hits the shops

2009-02-27T09:56:00.000-08:00

Here is a link if you want to buy the book that Ali Valenzuela has written 'Weighing it Up' on her thoughts and feelings living with anorexia. Ali has been part of the cross party group on eating disorders since its inception, and I will definitely be getting a copy. She was key in inspiring me to set up the group in the first place as she approached me as her AM to help raise awareness of the struggle that she faced in finding treatment in the Swansea area.

She also has an article on her experiences in Now! magazine this month. I hope that such magazines will take responsibility all year round for the images that they show on their pages....

Pictures from the True Beauty event/ LLuniau o'r digwyddiad Gwir Harddwch

2009-02-27T09:42:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the pictures from the True Beauty event. All the rest are on my flickr page. It was a superb evening, and thank you to all who attended. Congratulations to all those who took part in the competition also, and to Nigel Owens for speaking about his struggle with bulimia.

I'll try and update this blog when events arise in relation to eating disorders in Wales and elsewhere.

Bethanx

Dyma cwpwl o luniau o'r digwyddiad Gwir Harddwch. Mae'r gweddill ar fy nhudalen flickr. Roedd y noson yn wych, a diolch i bawb a ddaeth. Llongyfarchiadau i'r rheiny a wnaeth cymryd rhan yn y gystadleuaeth, yn ogystal a Nigel Owens am siarad mor agored am ei brwydr gyda bwlimia.

Byddai'n trio diweddaru'r blog pan fydd digwyddiadau yn ymwneud ag anhwylderau bwyta yn cael ei drefnu yng Nghymru.

Bethanx

The week has arrived/ Mae'r wythnos wedi cyrraedd!

2009-02-22T12:47:00.000-08:00

This week is Eating Disorders Awareness Week. No doubt there will be events World over to mark the week, and we will be doing our bit in Wales also. On Wednesday I have organised to display the top 20 pictures from the True Beauty competition at the Senedd, and at 6pm we will hold a reception at the Senedd, where the winners will be announced, and where Edwina Hart the Health Minister will speak alongside Nigel Owens the International Rugby Referee. I'm really looking forward to it, and I hope it will be a successful event.

I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone who has helped make the cross party group on eating disorders a success over the year that we have been in existence. I certainly believe that it has made a difference in campaigning for more provision for the treatment of eating disorders, and for a national strategy to be implemented. We know that to be true because Edwina Hart AM announced financial investment for community provision last year, and a consultation on a framework came to an end on January the 30th 2009. With the establishment of B-eat Cymru this year, the services and support for those with eating disorders and their carers can only progress.

It is of course still vitally important that the cross party group continues the campaign despite these achievements, as many people are still falling out of the loop, are still failing to receive the treatment they need, and are not being supported as sufferers and carers. When I wrote the cross party group's response to the consultation on a National framework, I was brought to tears by some of the stories behind the illnesses of loved ones who have died as a result of an eating disorder; those who still struggle to get treatment, and carers who feel that they have nowhere to go. This cannot be right, and must be changed, and I am determined that the cross party group, in working with the All Wales Special Interest Group on Eating Disorders and B-eat Cymru amongst other groups can change this situation for the better.

Setting up the cross party group is the most rewarding thing that I have done so far as an AM, as it has been so inspiring getting people involved, and enocouraging people to work for a national strategy and for funding for eating disorders in Wales. It provides a central point for discussion for AMs and other interest groups alike, and I hope that we will continue the hard work in years to come with your vital input.

Bethan Jenkins AM
Chair Cross party Group on Eating Disorders

Poem by Ali Valenzuela

2009-02-09T05:02:00.000-08:00

was lost and alone, didn’t know who to be,
and felt like an outcast, unaccepted for me.
When I needed a friend; a voice to console,
I heard a small whisper: “You’re not on your own.
I’ve seen you around and you’re needing a friend,
and I promise to be there right until the end.”
I jumped at the offer of close company,
but little did I realise quite how close it’d be.
I felt proud to decline food-it showed me my strength
To say no to the things I would want at great length.
I felt so in control and my confidence soared,
what with all of the exercise, I was never bored.
People said “what willpower it takes to do this!”
but little did they know it came with a twist
I was hungry and needed to eat a good meal
But the voice would get louder and started to squeal:
“what the HELL are you doing, you fat, dirty BITCH?!
We’ve got you SO far, now you shovel down THIS?!
It doesn’t make sense to delay your progress!”
But by this point, I only began to obsess
about every morsel that passed my lips
Added shame and disgust to the top of my list.
Temptation’s no match for this beast that’s inside
that slowly consumed me- I had nowhere to hide.
It was eating me up, and rotting my soul-
If it were to continue, it’d swallow me whole.
My clothes wouldn’t fit and my body was frail,
but no matter my state I couldn’t possibly fail
The anorexic voice that drowned out the lot
of my terrified family, begging me to stop.
Who crept into my room in the dead of the night
To see if their daughter was still breathing alright.
People gasped at my bones that protruded my skin,
pointing with horror at ‘the girl that’s so thin!’
I was ashamed and afraid, so much internal pain,
I thought i would never become me again
It was the worst nightmare i could possibly know
as even when I woke up, it was there in full flow.
At a rock bottom where I could have easily died
Finally, hospital help had arrived!It took all away control of anorexia’s ways
and slowly but surely I started to change
My passion for life started to get on track
I can’t tell you how good it feels to be back!
With recovery started, I learnt to control
The anorexic voice, and listen to my own.
But I still live in terror of the voice I followed,
Dragging me back to it’s world of sorrow
So I’m sharing my story of horror and pain
to prevent this from happening to anyone againI
can never repay those who supported me through
the hardest time of my life- all i say is Thankyou.

* Ali Valenzuela's new book 'Weighing It Up' will be available from the 1st of March 2009.

Mrtin Staniforth - Dove Self-Esteem Fund

2009-02-06T02:14:00.000-08:00

I help run the Dove Self-Esteem Fund for Dove. It’s a really inspiring role. We’ve discovered that so many young people hold back in life because they aren’t comfortable with how they look. This is such a crushing waste of talent! To help offset this, I help create a whole series of workshops, activities and education materials so that young people can feel more confident about the way they look, and then spend more time living their lives to the full. We’ve sent packs out to schools, developed materials with GirlGuiding UK and created fun online activities that you can find at www.dove.co.uk/#/cfrb/selfesteem

So far in the UK, at least 438,000 young people have used these resources. And, globally, the figure is over 3 million. It’s our vision that no young person should leave education feeling that they can’t participate fully in life because of the way that they think they look. And we are joined in this wish by young people, parents and celebrities. Take a look at the online tools and spread the word!

EATING DISORDERS AWARENESS: A ‘HEALTHY LIVING’ PERSPECTIVE

2009-01-30T07:23:00.000-08:00

I’m writing this post in my capacity as Chair of the Welsh Assembly’s Cross-Party Group on Healthy Living. This Group is a bi-partisan organisation whose main aim is to promote the many benefits of a healthier lifestyle, as well as to raise awareness of the work of its various component parts amongst politicians and policy-makers in Wales.

It’s important to realise that we’re not just concerned with physical health and the need for more exercise to tackle obesity. We’re also very much about dietary, emotional, mental and sexual health. Since Bethan joined our Group after becoming an AM, we have also started to take an interest in how raising awareness of eating disorders is part of promoting a healthier lifestyle.

An eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia is very much an issue of dietary and physical health, but it equally affects a person’s emotional and mental health. In today’s world there seems to be an unrelenting pressure for young women to be a ‘size zero’ and for young men to be ripped with muscles. These social pressures can no doubt have an effect on one’s emotional and mental health, in some cases then leading to significant alterations in one’s dietary and physical health. These are the messages that the Group seeks to raise awareness of, and it should form an increasingly important part of our work in the future.

Jeff Cuthbert AM

Contribution from Nick Bourne AM

2009-01-28T08:02:00.000-08:00

As an Assembly Member I am conscious of the fact that many more young people are suffering from eating disorders.

In most cases eating disorders result from a combination of pressures, events or feelings which can lead to boredom, anxiousness, anger, loneliness, sadness or low self-esteem.

People feel unable to cope with their situation and food becomes a way of relieving the pain and stress they are experiencing.

I first became aware of this problem when constituents in Aberystwyth raised with me the lack of clinician cover in Ceredigion.

I am pleased to be associated with the All-Party Group in the Assembly dedicated to raising awareness of this problem and to increasing the availability of clinicians to help sufferers across
Wales.

Nick Bourne AM

Blog Sarah Aldritt

2009-01-22T06:50:00.001-08:00

Contrary to the stereotypes that surround anorexia, being thin was never a priority for me; I have never thought I was fat or spent hours staring and pinching at flesh in the mirror. However, I think my gradual slide into ‘full blown’ anorexia began, aged 17, when I chose to give up chocolate for lent. Denying my incredibly sweet tooth this ‘naughty’ food gave me the sense of achievement that I could get from obsessively abstaining from something I loved. I felt powerful, in control and superior to others who gave in to their cravings.

During the next 5 years, my addiction to strict regimes of exercise and eating provided a constant in my life. Whilst always comparing myself to others and feeling inadequate and stressed at the prospect of messing life up, at least I had the comfort of knowing I was disciplined at exercise and I controlled what I ate.

Inevitably though, I couldn’t always keep up my rigid routines. Often, at night, I would allow myself the food that was forbidden during the day...this always resulted in feeling out of control, followed by the guilt and disgust at myself for being so weak. I wouldn’t feel right again until I had gone to the gym or for a long run...until everything was back ‘in order’. Even as my weight fell below six stone in late 2007, I still had these episodes of ‘bingeing’. Although I had always acknowledged I had a problem, when anorexia was diagnosed this suggestion seemed ridiculous – anorexics didn’t eat, I did. I felt unworthy of this title as I didn’t have the self control that they had.

In January 2008, when I fell ill with pneumonia, became too weak to walk and lay on a hospital bed with veins too small for IV drugs, my 5 stone 3 lb body refused to rest – I actually struggled to the hospital toilet to try to exercise. It had long gone past the point of me controlling something in my life, this thing was controlling me and it was telling me that I wasn’t a good enough anorexic, that I needed to try harder because others were better at it.

When I was told I wasn’t able to start a training contract at a law firm in London, my resolve to get better was stronger than ever; I wanted a life, not just to exist. I fought to stay out of hospital and fortunately, I was given access to a specialist community nurse, nutritionist and psychologist. With them, I set about on the long road to breaking this addictive cycle, gaining weight and learning to establish some kind of normality around food.

Unfortunately, we live in a society where the media associates healthiness with thinness. Having always denied that body image was a factor in my own case, as I gain more weight and become more womanly I can’t help but compare my body to others. Whilst magazines often criticise those who are too thin, when they constantly bombard us with pictures of airbrushed models and celebrities, it is difficult to remember that often these models are teenagers or these bodies aren’t real; if it’s ok for them to hover at a weight that is on the edge of an anorexic bmi, then why can’t I? If I am told it is ok to eat cake in moderation then confronted with pages devoted to dieting and the best way to lose weight, then how can I equate healthiness with being heavier? Shouldn’t I be detoxing and only eating raw food?

These confusing messages can make us feel guilty and less confident, and they often force both men and women to compare themselves with bodies that aren’t attainable. Beauty is subjective. I found a definition of beauty that said it is ‘the combination of all the qualities of a person or thing that delight the senses and the mind.’ Who said the media could define it and make us feel inadequate for not having the ‘perfect body’? Being beautiful shouldn’t be about being thin; but about feeling happy, healthy and confident.

Blog Christine Pinkard

2009-01-15T08:20:00.000-08:00

The next blog in this series in the run up to Eating Disorders Awareness Week is by Christine Pinkard who has recovered from an eating disorders. She is a Young Ambassador for Beat- the charity that provides support and services for those with eating disorders and their carers, and she is a Psychology student at Cardiff University.

Mae'r blog nesaf yn y gyfres yn y cyfnod cyn Wythnos Anhwylderau Bwyta gan Christine Pinkars sydd wedi gwella ar ol cael anhwylder bwyta. Mae hi'n genhadwr ifanc ar gyfer Beat- yr elusen sydd yn rhoi cefnogaeth ac yn darparu gwasanaethau i bobl sydd ag anhwylderau bwyta a'u gwarchodwyr. Mae hi'n astudio Seicoleg ym Mhrifysgol Caerdydd ar hyn o bryd.

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I never actually intended to lose weight. It began simply as a resolution to eat more healthily. I was 14, and couldn't stand my natural teenage weight gain.

But within weeks it had spiralled into an obsession. First I cut out anything sugary or fattening from my diet, but gradually I became afraid of eating anything. Each mouthful made me terrified of the weight it would make me put on. Every waking moment was consumed with overriding the hunger pangs. I started to feel freezing cold and exhausted all the time. I could barely concentrate at all and even passed out a few times when no one was around.

Eventually it went too far. I was finally forced to see a GP who diagnosed me with anorexia. An emergency appointment with a psychiatrist followed, during which I was told that at my weight I was at risk of heart failure. My circulation was extremely poor and my hands were blue. It was a huge shock because I genuinely had no idea that I was so thin – my anorexia had convinced me that I was actually larger than most of my friends.

Hospitalisation was mentioned, but my mum and I felt that this wouldn’t be the best option for me, especially since there wasn’t an eating disorders unit in the area. So I was allowed to go home on the condition that I began my weight gain immediately. I wasn’t even allowed to go for a walk because it would use up energy that my body couldn’t spare. This was the beginning of what was to be three years in an outpatient treatment program in the hospital.

I feel that it’s important for people to know that the lowest point of my anorexia was not when I was at my lowest weight. When I reached my (still unhealthily low) target weight I was convinced I was hideously fat. When I looked in the mirror all I could see was a blur of bulges. So I intentionally lost most of the weight I’d worked so hard to gain. I wasn’t trying to be thin or look good. I just wanted to look the same as everyone else.

When I was 17 I had a major turning point. Although the thought of giving up my eating disorder had always terrified me, I realised that it couldn’t be any worse than the past three years had been. I was so tired of leading such a secretive, lonely and painful existence. In the end recovery was a choice that had to come from me.

It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. My anorexia felt almost like a friend and an important part of my identity. But once I’d got to the point where I wanted to change, therapy was really helpful.

It took a long time, but in the end I made it – five years after the onset of my eating disorder I knew I was recovered. I’m now 20 and am at university. I’ve made some lovely friends and am much happier!

But I’m still paying the price for my anorexic years: I have brittle bones and have been diagnosed with a form of osteoporosis. My bone density is the same as that of the average seventy year old.

I’m telling my story to show that eating disorders need to be taken seriously. But with the right help full recovery is possible and is definitely worth fighting for.

Competition update..../Diweddariad i'r gystadleuaeth

2009-01-14T03:00:00.000-08:00

I need to let you know the following details about the competition-

Send High resolution photos (ideally 1.5 - 3MB) to truebeauty09@gmail.com or gwirharddwch09@gmail.com.
Entrants must also send their:
- name
- address
- telephone number
- email address
- one line as to why they have submitted their photo.

If you have posted their photo and want it returning, please include a SAE.

Up to 40 photographs will be selected for display in the exhibition in the Senedd. Cash prizes for winner and 2 runners up.

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Rwyf angen ychwanegu'r manylion canlynol am y gystadleuaeth-
Danfonwch lluniau res uchel (1.5-3MB) i gwirharddwch09@gmail.com

Mae angen i bobl rhoi ei:
-Enw
- Cyfeiriad
- Rhif Ffon
-cyfeiriad ebost
- disgrifiad un llinell o paham maent wedi cymryd y llun

Os ydych yn postio'r llun, ac am ei dderbyn yn ol, plis rhowch SAE yn yr amlen.

Bydd hyd at 40 llun yn cael eu harddangos yn y Senedd. Gwobrau ariannol i'r person cyntaf a dau eraill.

Dr Dai's Blog - a life before recovery...

2009-01-12T06:40:00.000-08:00

Here is a first in a series of blogs from people who are affected by eating disorders in Wales. It is from Dr David Samuel, who suffered from anorexia, and who is now a practising Doctor in Prince Charles Hospital, Merthyr Tydfil. He is a member of the cross party group on eating disorders, and is active in his area in raising awareness of eating disorders amognst young people.

Dyma'r blog cyntaf mewn cyfres yn arwain at wythnos anhwylderau bwyta gan bobl sydd yn cael eu heffeithio gan y salwch yng Nghymru. Mae'r un cyntaf yn dod gan Dr David Samuel a oedd yn cael anorexia, ac sydd nawr yn Ddoctor yn ysbyty Tywysog Siarl ym Merthyr Tydfil. Mae e'n aelod o'r grwp trawsbleidiol ar anhwylderau bwyta, ac mae'n gweithio'n galed yn ei ardal i godi ymwybyddiaeth o'r salwch ymysg pobl ifanc.

Every day when I wake up I thank the lord I recovered….. I still cannot believe how lucky I am to be a doctor but also to be free of Anorexia. 4 years of suffering almost killed me and came close to destroying my family. To live a normal life day in day out is often take for granted. Here’s what life used to be like for me before recovery…. Thank goodness these events are now a thing of the past!

Woke up at 6am this morning. When I say wake up, that is when I started my exercises in my bedroom. I had been lying awake for hours before, calculating my calories for the day ahead, planning my intake and exercise for the day ahead.

Counting the calories and steps each day is like breathing. A fundamental necessity to my existence. My mind thinks of nothing else. Not a moment can be spared to think of social events, sport, family or friends. My mind is filled and overflowing with thoughts of my fat, ugly shape, calories and eating and exercise. There is room for my work because I am a failure and must work harder to ensure I pass. To fail at medical school would shatter my life. Life would not be worth living at all then!

My day is safe, My day is set. A routine of the same breakfast, same lunch and salads for tea is easy to follow. How can so many people eat all day. How can they eat chocolates and pies and cakes? This diet is so much easier to follow.

Slowly I can start feeling my ribs and hips poking through my cold, thin, hairless skin. I shiver every second of the day and summer feels like the arctic to me. I am dreading the winter when the fire and heating will have to come back on. The deep, stabbing pain that fills my bones and muscles is unbearable but I now it has to be endured if I am going to stop looking fat. Being fat is worse than shivering and suffering in silence.

Anorexia gives me control. Assignments stress me out. Long hours on the wards take me away from the important things to do in the day – exercise and counting calories. At least it is work and the more I work the less chance there is of failing.

Weekend is on the way. My worst time of the week. Pressure from Mam and Dad to be normal and to go out to the rugby. How can I go and stand on a terrace for hours when there is work to be done. I don’t burn enough calories standing around either. I’d rather just go to the gym, work, exercise, work. Why can’t they leave me alone to do what suits me?

Hungry all day today. Managed to make my porridge last for over 20 minutes by taking small spoonfuls. Added a little bit of water to make it bigger without extra calories. Then I managed to stretch eating lunch until 3:30pm. Chicken noodle soup – 100 calories; yoghurt 50 calories and an apple – 40 calories was pretty average so managed to keep my intake down. I was still striving after though so drank 2 litres of Pepsi through the afternoon. Feeling bloated and sick now. Full of gas and running to the toilet every 15 minutes. This is no life – merely an existence. I feel bloated, tired and useless. I’m craving to eat but that would be a failure and would be letting Rex down!

Cystadleuaeth Gwir Harddwch

2009-01-08T05:19:00.001-08:00

Helo, a chroeso i flog Ymwybyddiaeth Anhwylderau Bwyta Cymru. Prif pwrpas y blog yw i farcio Wythnos Anhwylderau Bwyta yng Nghymru 2008 sydd yn digwydd rhwng y 23 i'r 28 o Chwefror. Mae'r grwp trawsbleidiol ar anhwylderau bwyta, gyda nodd gan Dove Self Esteem yn lansio cystadleuaeth sy'n gwahodd aelodau o'r cyhoedd i gyflwyno lluniau o'r hyn y maent yn ystyried i fod yn wir harddwch er mwyn herio'r pwysau ar bobl i ymuno â'r diwylliant 'maint sero' sy'n arwain at lawer o anhwylderau bwyta.

Ar y blog yma byddem yn datgelu pwy yw beirniaid gwadd y gystadleuaeth, a blogs gan bobl sydd ag anhwylder bwyta, sydd wedi gwella, pobl sydd yn gweithio yn y sector a mwy....

Dyma manylion y gystadleuaeth isod. Os oes gennych chi unrhyw gwestiwn, plis ebostiwch y cyswllt ar y blog neu bethan.jenkins@wales.gov.uk. Gallwch rhoi eich lluniau yn syth ar y safle flickr fan ar www.flickr.com/groups/truebeauty_gwirharddwch/

Bydd digwyddiad i wobrwyo'r goreuon yn y Senedd ar y 25 o Chwefror at 6 yr hwyr, felly cofiwch cadw'r dyddiad yn rhydd!

Pob lwc gyda'r gystadleuaeth....

Dyddiadau Allweddol:

Cystadleuaeth yn agor Dydd Iau yr 8fed o Ionawr 2009.

Cystadleuaeth yn cau Dydd Llun 16eg Chwefror 2009.

Bydd yr arddangosfa yn y Senedd Ddydd Mercher 25ain Chwefror o 10.30yb.

Cyhoeddir yr enillwyr am 6 yr hwyr yn y Senedd.

Manylion y Gystadleuaeth:

Gall cystadleuwyr bostio llun (maint A3) gyda'u syniad o beth yw “wir harddwch” at Bethan Jenkins AC, Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru, Caerdydd, CF99 1NA.

Gellir e-bostio lluniau i truebeauty09@gmail.com neu gwirharddwch09@gmail.com.

Detholir 40 o luniau i'w harddangos yn y Senedd.

Bydd y cyhoedd a phanel o feirniaid yn dewis lluniau y maent yn meddwl eu bod yn cynrychioli “gwir harddwch” mewn ffordd greadigol, bersonol a chwilfrydig.

Termau ac amodau: Dylai pob llun gynnwys person; hawliau i ddefnyddio'r 40 o luniau a arddangosir mewn deunydd cyhoeddusrwydd; ni dderbynnir cyfrifoldeb am niwed neu golled; dim ond un llun y person; rhaid i'r llun fod wedi'i thynnu yn y 12 mis diwethaf, Rhaid i'r person yn y llun fod yn 16 neu'n hŷn.

True Beauty Competition

2009-01-08T04:59:00.000-08:00

Hello, and welcome to the blog Eating Disorders Awareness Wales. The main purpose of this blog is to mark Eating Disoders Awareness Week 2008 in Wales, which is between the 23rd and 28th of February. The cross party group on eating disorders, with sponsorship from Dove Self Esteem has launched a competition for members of the public to submit pictures of what they consider to be real beauty in order to challenge the pressures on people to join the size-zero culture that leads many to eating disorders.

On this blog, we will reveal who the judges for the competition will be, and publish blogs from those who have suffered from an eating disorder in Wales, past sufferers, and those who work in the field. You can also upload your pictures on our flickr group page flickr.com/groups/truebeauty_gwirharddwch/

The details of the competition are below. If you have a question the email contact is to the side of this post, or email bethan.jenkins@wales.gov.uk.

There will be an event on the 25th of February at 6pm in the Senedd to reveal the winnnig pictures, so keep that date free!

Good luck with the competition......

Key Dates:

Competition opens on Thursday the 8th of January 2009.
Competition closes on Monday 16th February 2009.
Display will be in the Senedd building on Wednesday 25th February from 10.30am.
Winners will be announced at 6pm in the Senedd building.

Competition details:

Entrants can post a photo (A3 size) with their idea as to what is “true beauty” to Bethan Jenkins AM, National Assembly for Wales, Cardiff, CF99 1NA.

Photos can be emailed to truebeauty09@gmail.com or gwirharddwch09@gmail.com.

40 photographs will be selected for display in the exhibition in the Senedd.

The public and a judging panel will select which photos they think best represent “true beauty” in an intriguing, personal and creative way.

There will be a prize for 1st, 2nd and 3rd position sponsored by Dove Self Esteem.

Terms & conditions:
each photo should include a person; rights to use 40 exhibited photos in publicity; no responsibility accepted for damage or loss; only 1 submission per person; photo must have been taken in the last 12 months, it may be sent on jpg format or via post to Bethan Jenkins, 75, Briton Ferry Road, Neath, SA11 1AR , person photographed must be 16 or over and consent to the display or other publication of the photographs in connection with this competition. Other than the prizes relating to the competition, no payment will be made either to the photographer or the subject of the photo.