A bit about us
Both of our founders have daughters who suffered from eating disorders.
We found very little to help us survive the struggle at the time, so decided something had to be done to fill the gap in support and treatment. Thankfully, our daughters are all now recovered. But eating disorders are on the increase, and the NHS can only see a small proportion of sufferers, often only the most severe cases. Our course is suitable for all, and the recovery tools it offers may be used by anyone.
Di Archer – CEO
Di is an educator, published writer and speaker with a theological background. As well as co-founding and heading up tastelife, she also works for CPAS as Project Co-ordinator for their Leadership team. She and her husband Graham have three grownup children, a dog, a cat . . . and a hot tub. The latter for medicinal purposes, of course!
Di Archer MA with Distinction, Theology, Nottingham University, PTLLS (Adult Education), BA Lancaster University
Sarah WatsonSarah Watson
Network Coordinator
Sarah works alongside our wonderful volunteers, engaging, building and developing relationships with potential leaders of the
tastelife course and with current trained leaders.
She has balanced a successful career as a senior manager in sustainability and climate change with voluntary work and family responsibilities.
In her spare time, she loves nothing more than making the most of her National Trust
membership and going on trips to the countryside or coast with her family.
sarah.watson@tastelifeuk.org
Bob DudleyBob Dudley
tastelife Trustee and Secretary
Bob is our secret weapon! As well as being secretary to the trustee body, he is a huge support to the office team, masterminding databases, finance and all things IT.
When he has the occasional spare moment, Bob is a keen cyclist, and loves tackling the great outdoors and managing his very large, very friendly dog.
bob.dudley@tastelifeuk.org
Abbie YoungAbbie Young
Communications Coordinator
Abbie coordinates all things social media and the digital side of tastelife, building relationships with the wider digital community. Using creativity and communications to get the tastelife message of hope as far and wide as possible. Getting people on board through social media campaigns and other creative projects.
In her spare time Abbie loves cooking, immersing herself in nature, anything creative and spending time with friends and family and going for a lovely coffee.
abbie.young@tastelifeuk.org
Marie DoveMarie Dove
Operations Coordinator
Marie is our brilliant organiser and makes sure the plates keep spinning and all the balls stay in the air! Marie trained as a tastelife leader in 2015 and has run several courses face to face in Hastings and more recently online courses via Zoom. She became a key trainer in 2017 and is now the training lead, coordinating the three training weekends which run each year.
She lives in Hastings on the South Coast and enjoys films, days out with the family and swimming (but sea swimming only in the summer!).
marie.dove@tastelifeuk.org
Fiona TipsonFiona Tipson
Network Administrator
Cherry DakinCherry Dakin
Youth Track Coordinator
Cherry is our Youth Track Coordinator and works to get our brilliant resources for schools and youth groups out into the community.
As a trained tastelife leader and with a background in teaching and marketing, she aims to promote and develop the resources teachers and youth leaders need to tackle head-on the growing problem of eating disorders among teenagers.
Jean Hart – Founder
Jean is a licensed lay minister in the Church of England. She trained in integrative psychotherapy and now specialises in eating disorder counselling. She knows only too well the trauma experienced by families trying to cope with this all too common mental condition. With Di Archer, she wrote the tastelife course, and together they founded the charity tastelife. She loves spending time with her ever growing, noisy family as well as cooking, gardening and walking her dog.
Jean Hart BA Advanced Diploma Integrative Psychotherapy, Certificate in Bereavement Counselling, Southampton University. Previously part of a research team for Southampton University looking at the use of video and family sculpting in the treatment of anorexia nervosa.
A bit of history
tastelifeuk began in Southampton, supported by the Southampton Christian Network of churches. The tastelife course was duplicated in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, and regular training residentials mean that it is now starting to spread around the country (find a course here). We were delighted to receive the REQ from the University of Brighton Health Sciences. While it is based on Christian principles of wholeness and health, it is open to to those of all faiths or none. We have been so encouraged by the huge positive response to the course – not only from sufferers of eating disorders but from those supporting them as well. The charity’s trustees and advisors include a GP medical trainer, a former Director of Public Health for a major UK city, a counsellor and those with direct experience of eating disorders.
