"We are delighted and very grateful for this donation, which will enable us to extend the opening hours of our telephone helpline," says Laila Walther, director of the National Association Against Eating Disorders and Self-Harm.

Until now, the telephone helpline has been open for inquiries Monday through Thursday from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. The donation will enable the association to extend its opening hours to 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Mondays.

We have been trialing opening hours on Mondays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and we have received a significant number of inquiries. We are seeing parents calling for assistance after a challenging weekend with a child who is struggling. We have many children and young people contacting us because they have also had a difficult weekend and need help. With this donation, we can already announce that in 2021 we will be open every Monday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and that we will also be able to help school classes who, for example, are working on a school project and need information – something we have not been able to do before," says Laila Walther.

The association receives around 5,000 inquiries annually, and this number has been steadily increasing in recent years as young people place greater demands on themselves. This has been particularly true in 2020, which has been exceptionally busy due to COVID-19.

Many young people feel increased pressure to be perfect, and when they feel they are not succeeding, it can result in loneliness, anxiety, self-harm, and eating disorders. In addition, COVID-19 has meant that we are receiving more inquiries from children and young people who have been severely affected. They feel lonely because, among other things, they have not been able to go to school, participate in leisure activities, go out, etc.

Sol og Strand became a foundation in 2019. According to the plan, the " Sol og Strand Foundation Sol og Strand Margit and Kjeld," which is currently under construction, was not supposed to begin distributing funds to charitable causes until 2022. However, the foundation's board of directors has decided to distribute one million already this year.

This is the first time we are distributing funds from the foundation, and the board has selected a total of ten organizations, each of which will receive DKK 100,000. This time, the selection was based on the wishes of the fund's founders, Margit and Kjeld Andersen. Going forward, distributions will be based on the applications we receive, says the fund's chairman, Jens Stadum.

Married couple Margit and Kjeld Andersen are delighted that they now have the opportunity to realize a dream they have had for many years for Sol og Strand A/S, which they founded in 1979. The couple started out renting out their own summer house, and today the company manages the rental of around 6,500 Danish holiday homes, making it one of the largest Danish rental agencies.

In November 2019, they transferred ownership of Sol og Strand A/S to the commercial fund, which aims to support charitable and local causes. From 2022/23, the fund is expected to be able to distribute up to 75 percent of the profits from Sol og Strand to these causes each year. This means that by choosing to rent out your vacation home or book a vacation home stay through Sol og Strand , you are indirectly helping to make a difference for others.

The company calls this "Vacation with a good heart," and it is entirely in line with Margit and Kjeld Andersen's wishes and hopes for the company.

By establishing this fund, we are ensuring that our life's work of renting out Danish holiday homes will continue in Danish hands and not be sold to, for example, a foreign capital fund. We are very pleased that we can distribute funds already this year, and we are delighted that the fund's board of directors has agreed to support the National Association Against Eating Disorders and Self-Harm, as untreated eating disorders can be deeply debilitating, say Margit and Kjeld Andersen.