Published on: 7th August 2025
After years of struggling with binge eating disorder, Tameside dad Carl has thanked a local mental health service for changing his life.
Living well Tameside has supported just nearly 10,000 people since launching in January 2019.
The service is led by The Big Life group, Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, and supported by other key partners including Tameside Adult Social Care, Tameside and Glossop Mind Charity and Tameside Council. It unites a range of professionals from the NHS, primary care, voluntary, community and social enterprise sector, police, the council and many others.
Part of the largest transformation of community mental health services, this is the first time such a vast range of services have worked together as a true partnership.
The goal is to make support more joined-up, accessible, and consistent for adults with complex mental health needs. With their “no wrong door” approach, they’re supporting people who might not previously been able to get help.
Ensuring people can quickly and easily receive the right support benefits their recovery and experience. It also reduces demand on GPs and referrals to specialist and hospital mental health services.
Carl’s story
One of the many people supported is 34-year-old Carl Scutt (pictured right), from Glossop. Carl is a CV writer and career coach and is happily married, with a little boy.
He said: “I’ve always used food for comfort, but things began to get out of control. Somewhere along the line, my brain has learned food soothes.
“My habits were worst when I was working at home on my own or stressed. It would start with a single, harmless thought and before I knew it, I was caught in a storm of cravings and shame.
“I’d go to the shop, buy way too much food, put the TV on and eat it all. I’d often feel so ill the rest of the day would be a write off. I’d pay for the food using a separate bank account and hide the packaging, so my wife didn’t know.
“What looked like a snack run from the outside was a desperate attempt to calm the chaos inside me. But instead of peace, I was left with guilt, self-loathing, and the cycle beginning all over again.
“In 2021 I researched eating disorders and spoke to my GP about it, but no one was able to offer the right support at that time.
“Initially I went down the road of private therapy, which built my confidence and self-compassion. I went back to my GP in 2024, who referred me to living well Tameside and the adult eating disorder service.”
Carl began working with Katie Holland, mental health and wellbeing practitioner from living well Tameside. Meeting weekly with Carl, she helped him understand binge eating and how behaviours, thoughts and emotions are linked.
“Working with Katie built on the skills I’d learned during private therapy. The therapy with Katie was behavioural focused, taking the emotion out of eating, changing habits and disrupting patterns.
“I tried lots of different things, some worked, some didn’t. Small changes that really helped were putting a break between eating and the next task and having a walk around the block after a meal. This gave me a break from sitting there and reminded me I’m part of a bigger world and society; even in foul weather it was surprisingly refreshing.
Carl is now building upon this progress with support from Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH)’s Eating Disorder Service. He said: “I’m now working with the eating disorders unit, chipping away at my deeper underlying issues around body image. I’m about halfway through my work with them. I’m no longer binge eating and it’s becoming more natural. I’ve seen a real shift in the past few weeks, and I feel really close to full recovery. I’ve even set myself the challenge of walking 100km for eating disorder charity Beat. They helped me when I needed it most and I want to give something back.”
Katie Holland (pictured left), mental health and wellbeing practitioner said: “It’s been a real privilege to support Carl. His honesty, commitment and willingness to try new approaches have been central to the progress he’s made.
“We worked together to develop practical tools that helped him break unhelpful patterns and regain control. It was incredibly rewarding to have played a part in helping Carl build the confidence and skills to move forward and connect with further support.”
Ihuoma Alichukwu, cognitive behavioural therapist at Greater Manchester Mental Health’s Eating Disorder Service said: “Binge eating disorder is the most common eating disorder but one that people often know less about. There can be a lot of stigma and shame involved, which can act as a barrier to seeking help.
“There are proven psychological therapies that can help people break the difficult cycles they can get stuck in around binge eating. Carl has made great progress in this therapy due to his determination, openness to change and hard work both in and out of the sessions.
“By sharing his story, Carl will give hope to many other people that recovery is possible. If you or someone you know is struggling, please don’t hesitate to reach out.”
More information about living well Tameside is available at www.thebiglifegroup.com/livingwelltameside
More information about the adult eating disorders service, provided by Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, is available at www.gmmh.nhs.uk/eating-disorder-service/
Advice about eating disorders is available at www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/