In 2019, journalist and author Molly Forbes launched the Free From Diets campaign - a grassroots call for tighter regulation on how diet and weight-loss messaging is seen by children and young people.

But what followed mattered just as much. The campaign sparked conversations, brought people together, and helped build a small but passionate community. Through roundtables, surveys and everyday exchanges with educators and parents, one message kept coming through: schools needed more support.

Behind the scenes, this work was also driven by a personal wake-up call. When Molly’s five-year-old daughter asked why she was weighing spinach, she realised she didn’t have an answer she wanted to pass down. That moment - quickly dubbed "Spinach-gate" - prompted a deeper look into the generational messages we absorb about our bodies, and how early they take root. What began as a personal moment of discomfort sparked a wider journey of curiosity, connection and co-creation - with families, educators, and young people all helping to shape what came next.

With a small crowdfunder, we raised £1,000 to deliver a series of free online CPD workshops for teachers - designed with insight from educators themselves. That series became the first spark of what would grow into The Body Happy Organisation.

The Body Happy Organisation was officially incorporated as a Community Interest Company in late 2020 and launched the following year with a small suite of resources.

Around the same time, founder Molly Forbes published Body Happy Kids (Vermilion, 2021), followed by Every Body (Puffin, 2024). These books helped bring the organisation’s messages to a wider audience - supporting families, schools and children with inclusive, practical tools.

The organisation’s offer grew gradually, shaped by feedback, co-design and lived experience. What began as a handful of resources started to take clearer shape - guided by a strong vision, a committed community, and a shared belief in prevention over shame.

The real turning point came in 2024, when The Body Happy Organisation was named a Fair Education Alliance Innovation Award winner, enabling us to develop The Body Happy Schools Programme - the UK’s first whole-school body respect programme. This produced a step-change in reach, scale and capacity.

The Body Happy Organisation has grown through a wide network of supporters, contributors and collaborators - all of whom have played a part in shaping what it is today.

People like Dr Tosin Sotubo-Ajayi, who joined an early campaign roundtable and later became a founding board member. Dr Kamila Irvine, who reached out to offer research support and now leads our academic partnership with the University of Lincoln. The schools who opened their doors to pilot our programme. The children and young people who helped co-design elements of it. And the community champions taking on incredible challenges to raise money for our mission alongside individuals and organisations donating to help amplify our impact.

In 2024, The Body Happy Organisation was named a Fair Education Alliance Innovation Award winner, marking a new phase of growth and wider impact - powered by the same collective spirit that’s been with us from the start.

The Body Happy Organisation is still small - but growing with intention, care and a clear sense of purpose.

What started as a grassroots campaign has become a national programme, a developing research collaboration, and a wider strategy to reach schools, families, communities and systems across the UK.

Our focus is on prevention, inclusion and long-term culture change - and while there’s still work to do, the momentum is real.

Because the vision stays the same: 

A world where every child and young person celebrates, respects and accepts ALL bodies - especially their own.