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Jenni Murray

Bernadette McConnell

Woman's Hour: Norway female conscription; biscuit girls; paddle dolls and eating disorders

Factual

Norway female conscription; biscuit girls; paddle dolls and eating disorders

24/10/2014

BBC Radio 4 - Woman's Hour, Norway female conscription; biscuit girls; paddle dolls and eating disorders

Jenni Murray presents the programme that offers a female perspective on the world, discussing eating disorder patients, biscuit girls and paddle dolls.

Anorexia has the highest mortality rate of any psychological illness and the number of patients has increased by 15 per cent since 2000. Every year, GPs diagnose about 5,000 young people as having an eating disorder, but following new report critics say it takes too long for patients to see a specialist. The study involved 445 adults who have suffered from or are suffering from anorexia. Once they'd been referred, 48% had to wait over a month before their treatment started. 

They are called the biscuit girls or known locally as the cracker packers and they used to work at Carr's Factory in Carlisle. Now Hunter Davies has written a book called "The Biscuit Girls" featuring interviews with six of the women who worked there as far back as the 1940s. 

A new Egyptology exhibition opens on Friday, October 24th at The Atkinson in Southport. Not seen for 40 years, it represents the lifetime collection of a Victorian woman called Anne Goodison. Among the star exhibits are a couple of uniquely preserved and intriguingly named "Paddle Dolls". 

Presenter:Jenni Murray
Producer:Bernadette McConnell.

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