The charity, which won the Best New Charity of the Year Award in 2002, works to address both the physical and psychological health needs of overweight people.

Many health professionals and Policy-makers stress the importance of prevention- helping people to avoid becoming overweight in the first place- and Weight Concern agrees.

However, because of the rising numbers of obese adults and children, we also believe that more effective treatment options are needed to help those already overweight.

Weight Concern has shown how psychologists, dieticians and exercise specialists working together can help people make the lifestyle changes they want, to control their weight.

The charity is committed to developing and researching new treatments for obesity. It is also working to increase the availability of the successful treatments it has pioneered in the UK:

• self-help programmes
• self-help support groups
• family based childhood obesity treatment

The charity also works to help people improve their health and feel good about themselves, whatever their weight.

Weight Concern funds some of its activities through project grants and has previously received funding from the Department of Health.