Communications and campaigns

Back to Awards

Individual winners 2007

The Tackling Drugs Changing Lives Awards recognise individuals and teams who have really made a difference in their local community. The overall winners receive £10,000 for their project or organisation to spend on the prevention of treatment of drug misuse.

Winner

Vicky Ward - Yorkshire and the Humber

As an outreach drug worker with the Turning Point Adult Treatment Service in Sheffield, Vicky works tirelessly to get homeless people into treatment.

Visiting squats and streets to locate her clients, she then ensures that they can access the treatment and healthcare they need. Vicky’s involvement doesn’t stop there. From solving benefit problems to accompanying the police during early morning sweeps, she ensures that her clients get the best quality of care.

Her nominator said: 'If there is a way in, Vicky will find it. If there is an insurmountable obstacle obstructing a client’s progress, she will work with them to find a different way and will keep on trying until she finds a solution.'

Regional finalists

Linda Sawyer - East Midlands

'A wealth of experience, an abundance of life skills and an incredible amount of courage, compassion and dedication…' is how Linda and her work are described.

Instigating outreach activities in various settings to connect with her clients who have a history of substance abuse, Linda takes time to talk with and understand them supporting them through a range of life events including frequently attending their court hearings and tribunals as well.

In the last 18 months, she has worked with around 200 clients – many of whom have subsequently gone on to continue their education and obtain employment. In her spare time Linda has been working on an innovative project to recruit and retrain ex substance misusers into becoming substance abuse support workers.

Helen Forster - East of England

A positive birthing experience is the right of every mother and Helen works hard to ensure this.

A specialist midwife at Basildon and Thurrock University Hospital Foundation Trust, she provides the much needed support for mothers who are blood borne virus positive and/or misuse substances.

Prior to Helen’s good work, these mothers were routinely separated from their babies. Now however, babies who don’t require special care are allowed to remain with their mothers – ensuring a positive and rewarding birth and bonding experience for all.

Theresa Boden - North East

It didn't take long for Teresa to realise that working with women who misuse drugs and alcohol was not a regular 9 to 5 job.

Without any hesitation she made herself available to her clients at all hours of the day, supporting them through the long and difficult process of addressing their substance problems and re-integrating into the community.

Teresa works with the Community Integration Team, Gateshead and is frequently described as an “asset to the community”. A small support group she set up has since gone on to become a thriving community café and healthy living group.

Hasan Sidat - North West

As a drugs awareness officer with the Lancashire Council of Mosques, Hasan has carried out groundbreaking work within hard to reach South Asian communities.

Providing training to more than 25 local Imams (Mosque leaders) and 2,000 children and parents to help them identify and deal with drugs issues, he is recognised by many as being pivotal in taking the South Asian community from a state of denial to one of acknowledgement and action.

Increasing the levels of support available to young South Asian drug and alcohol users, Hasan’s pioneering work has helped to break down barriers and save countless lives. As a result, his unique substance abuse policy and programme model is being successfully adopted by drugs teams across the UK.

Alison Lawrence - London

Tasked with the important role of encouraging and supporting all levels of user involvement in Barnet’s substance misuse services, Alison was a volunteer in the post for two years before becoming a paid member of staff.

Working with the Barnet Service User Group (BSUG), she ensures that service users are involved in their own treatment, service planning and development.

Due to Alison’s passion and commitment BSUG has grown from a small group of eight to one with a membership of over 130, and is now part of the Drug and Alcohol Strategy and Commissioning Group.

Her key successes include increasing treatment retention rates and sustaining recovery; encouraging service users to share their experiences at community events and organising training courses for them.

Jan Hooper - South West

As a Criminal Justice drugs worker, Jan is part of a Drug intervention Team that supports drug-misusing offenders. Apart from providing her clients with individual care, Jan set up and runs a women’s group, offers a weekly evening clinic for clients who work, and advocates on their behalf during the court review process.

Instrumental in setting up an in-house Hepatitis testing service, Jan also secured the necessary funding for two innovative projects that aim to help increase client confidence.

Local communities have benefited from the result of Jan’s work by over 50 per cent of her clients being retained in treatment for more than three months. Jan has also engaged prolific offenders in innovative literature and drama schemes.  

Bernadette Oldbury - West Midlands

Community worker Bernie has built such a rapport with her clients at the Welcome Centre in Chelmsley Wood that she is instantly missed the minute she's away!

Leading on activities at the centre as well as organising and facilitating a very successful family/carer self-help group, Bernie spends her time supporting clients and their families, organising trips, cooking meals and overseeing the treatment needs for a large numbers of clients.

Known for her non-judgemental approach, Bernie is particularly beloved of her clients because she empowers them to find their own solutions with support.

Hossein Sharifi - South East

Tasked with the job of engaging with communities to raise awareness of substance misuse and its impact, Hossein is well respected and widely known across the diverse communities in the county.

Working hard to increase public access to community awareness events, Hossein uses a range of media – including an interactive Drug and Alcohol Action Team website he developed – established to engage with local people.

He recently hosted an event to launch research findings which looked at the barriers to seeking help for African Caribbean and Asian people which was attended by 200 people.

Hossein has established prevention clubs which focus on the needs of parents and carers, and has also recruited and trained many volunteers from local Black and Minority Ethnic communities, two of whom have subsequently gone on to secure paid work in the substance misuse field.

Peter Sharratt - Wales

The threat of a serious illness has not prevented Peter from his voluntary work with the Wrexham Service User Group. In the last three years he has not only helped set up service user groups but also supported clients from referral, through treatment and beyond.

Peter has also worked hard to develop relationships between partner organisation, resulting in more equal partnerships and shared decision making.

Nominated for this award by one of the many people he has helped in the course of his work, he has been described as 'very much the backbone of the group.'