Lydia Powner

I arrived at Edge Hill as a shy 18-year-old, struggling with anorexia nervosa. I would never have believed how different my life would be three years on.

The real change started at the end of my first year, when I went along to Edge Hill’s vegan food fair. I wasn’t thinking of going vegan but I was immediately attracted to the environmental, health and animal welfare reasons behind veganism.

I founded Edge Hill’s first ever Vegan Society. I received a high achiever award. Since then, I’ve become more and more involved in vegan activism and spend a lot of my time talking to students and members of the public about veganism. In my first year, the idea of doing that would have terrified me.

With staff support, I created a plant-based food company. It was runner-up in Edge Hill University’s Entrepreneurship Awards. The staff at Edge Hill have always been very understanding. I had problems with my mental health while at university, but I have a learning mentor and special equipment to help me in lectures.

Studying Nutrition helped me think about food in a different way. Some thought it would be difficult for me, given my problematic relationship with food. Now that I’ve recovered, I can see how important food is and what an integral part it plays in life. Becoming vegan has also helped me to see food as less scary, because I know nothing has been harmed to make what I’m eating.

It’s nice not to be the girl with anorexia anymore – but it’s good to be able to use that experience to help others. That could be through my Instagram (plant_based_lydia), or by supporting other students struggling with eating disorders. Since I’ve been at Edge Hill I’ve discovered a confidence I didn’t know I had. I feel inspired.