People connected to the Hull eating disorder support charity SEED were invited to mark its milestone 25th year at a celebration held in the Hull Kingston Rovers Legends Lounge, at Sewell Group Craven Park.
Guests were invited to “dress comfortable and ready to have a good time” by SEED CEO Gemma Oaten. The soap star, actress and radio presenter, who has long been a staunch advocate for eating disorders support and has spoken openly about her own diagnosis with anorexia when she was ten years old, led the introductions to the event.
During the course of the evening, she shared the stage with her parents, Marg and Dennis Oaten, who co-founded SEED, telling them: “You gave me life and you saved my life.” The event marked the retirement of Marg and Dennis; Gemma also revealed in an emotional speech that she was stepping down as CEO in August – but was leaving the charity in “very capable hands” and would still be very much connected to SEED.
Gemma sang two songs, chatted with guests and introduced a surprise segment of video clips from well-known faces, including Wes Streeting, Ben Shepherd, Alison Hammond and Sian Reeves, who all sent special goodwill messages to Marg and Dennis on their retirement, to the charity, and to Gemma. The evening also included entertainment by singer Samantha Atkinson and a buffet meal, with gift pots of Chip Spice (Gemma is ambassador for Hull’s iconic condiment) left at each table setting.
After the event, Gemma said: “It was an incredible night, full of warmth and love and hope. I couldn’t be prouder of my mum and dad and the legacy that they’ve left.
“There were quite a lot of emotions, especially with me stepping back, but it just feels like it’s time for us to live. I’ll never give up on advocacy for eating disorders and campaigning but it’s our time as a family now to just take a step back and enjoy.
“It meant the world that we were surrounded by so much love and warmth.”
You can find a gallery of pictures below from the celebration, courtesy of Kevin Greene Photography.
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