Hope UK http://www.hopeuk.org Tue, 15 May 2012 09:31:48 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Hope UK no Hope UK http://www.hopeuk.org/wp-content/plugins/powerpress/rss_default.jpg http://www.hopeuk.org Alcohol event for young people – June 23rd http://www.hopeuk.org/2012/05/alcohol-event-for-young-people-june-23rd/ http://www.hopeuk.org/2012/05/alcohol-event-for-young-people-june-23rd/#comments Fri, 11 May 2012 10:42:03 +0000 editor http://www.hopeuk.org/?p=1841 Four organisations have teamed up to hold an alcohol awareness afternoon for young people (age 14-25) in central London on June 23rd.  Interactive sessions will be provided by ACTIVE, Arcade, Hope UK and the White Ribbon Association during which participants will be asked for their views on the alcohol crisis facing the UK and what can be done to change the culture of excessive drinking.  It will start at 12 noon and end at 4:30 pm.  The venue is Friends’ House, Euston Road, London NW1 2BJ.

Leaflets are available for distribution as well as posters for notice boards.  Booking is essential – click here for the booking form.  Please return your completed form to Hope UK, 25(f) Copperfield Street, London SE1 0EN or e-mail your details to m.watson@hopeuk.org


]]> http://www.hopeuk.org/2012/05/alcohol-event-for-young-people-june-23rd/feed/ 0 Mystery drug kills teenager http://www.hopeuk.org/2012/04/mystery-drug-kills-teenager/ http://www.hopeuk.org/2012/04/mystery-drug-kills-teenager/#comments Tue, 24 Apr 2012 13:48:08 +0000 editor http://www.hopeuk.org/?p=1825 ‘Party drug kills teen daughter of leading academic’ are the headlines in the Daily Mail on 23 April, 2012. Another death, another young life snuffed out. This tragic death emphasizes yet again the importance and value of the drug  education work of Hope UK.

As a Drug Educator for Hope UK, I was out in the shopping centre of Kingston on Saturday encouraging young people to put on beer goggles and ‘walk the line’ thus giving them insight into what it feels like to be drunk. Those who had not previously experienced drunkenness were amazed at how ‘weird’ they felt not being able to walk straight; they did not feel safe. We were then able to reinforce the importance of ‘staying safe’ in whatever environment they were in! ‘It has certainly made me think,’ one young lad said, which is exactly what Hope UK wants young people to do.

The newspaper article says that this 16 year old ‘was a lovely young girl who was  naïve’. Hope UK believes that drug education, together with life skills knowledge, is vital for young people negotiating the challenges of their world.

HOPE UK – enabling young people make drug-free choices.

]]> http://www.hopeuk.org/2012/04/mystery-drug-kills-teenager/feed/ 0 Annual Conference/AGM http://www.hopeuk.org/2012/04/annual-conferenceagm/ http://www.hopeuk.org/2012/04/annual-conferenceagm/#comments Tue, 10 Apr 2012 14:11:56 +0000 editor http://www.hopeuk.org/?p=1819 At the end of March, 86 of our volunteer Educators, Trustees and staff spent a brilliant weekend together at Allnations College, Hertfordshire. It was good to meet our wonderful volunteers some of whom had travelled from as far as Scotland/Northern Ireland/Wales and Cornwall. Workshops entitled Drug Trafficking, Young People’s Drugs, Sex and Lifeskills Course were enlightening. We were enabled to follow the temperance history of The Band of Hope ably produced by Annemarie McAllister from the University of Central Lancashire who will be holding an eight month exhibition in Manchester entitled ‘Temperance and the Working Class’. We learnt from an excellent speaker, Roy Crowne, how to ‘Reach out in Word and Action’ . Information about working with local Drug Education Forums was the topic of another workshop. It was a good time of comparing notes and experiences as well enjoying food, fun and friendship.  


]]> http://www.hopeuk.org/2012/04/annual-conferenceagm/feed/ 0 Vodafone World of Difference pays for an extra worker http://www.hopeuk.org/2012/03/vodaphone-world-of-difference-pays-for-an-extra-worker/ http://www.hopeuk.org/2012/03/vodaphone-world-of-difference-pays-for-an-extra-worker/#comments Thu, 08 Mar 2012 10:58:55 +0000 editor http://www.hopeuk.org/?p=1800 Hope UK is grateful to have been selected as one of the charities benefiting from the Vodafone World of Difference programme which pays 2 months’ salary cost for an additional worker.  Liz Wynyard, who has worked for Hope UK for many years both in a paid and voluntary capacity, shares her experience of the induction day:

“I went to their Induction Day at Newbury Racecourse on Monday. It was a great experience and everything was done very professionally and efficiently to make a fuss of us, make us feel special and enthuse us to make a World of Difference to our chosen charities.  

They had inspirational speakers telling their stories: Simon Weston OBE the Falklands soldier who recovered from being blown up and still bears the scars from his experience. Lisa Potts who gained the George medal for protecting the children in her care when a man jumped over the fence of her nursery with a machete and attacked them all; Gok Wan who is their Ambassador, as well as others who shared their experiences of setting up charities and making a difference in small or large ways. 

Vodafone told us that their Foundation is donating this sort of money in this sort of way because they want People to make a difference rather than just writing a cheque and that’s the end of it. 

I was given a new Vodafone with £50 on it to use for Hope UK work, a bit of training to get started on blogging with the other 499 World of Difference winners, some of whom I had conversation with. Interestingly, many of them were already volunteering for their charities as I am. 

I have now officially begun my Vodafone World of Difference placement – 4 months of 2 days a week. My main role will be marketing churches near some of our Volunteers to get prayer support; if they have youth work they might like some Drug Awareness Sessions, and hopefully get them on our database so in the long term they will receive our information and know more about Hope UK.   And anything else that is needed. Blogging and tweeting about what I’m doing, as it happens, is encouraged!! I’m a novice at the moment but you wait and see…..!

]]> http://www.hopeuk.org/2012/03/vodaphone-world-of-difference-pays-for-an-extra-worker/feed/ 0 New play based on a mother’s experience of her sons’ addiction http://www.hopeuk.org/2012/02/new-play-based-on-a-mothers-experience-of-her-sons-addiction/ http://www.hopeuk.org/2012/02/new-play-based-on-a-mothers-experience-of-her-sons-addiction/#comments Wed, 15 Feb 2012 15:59:28 +0000 editor http://www.hopeuk.org/?p=1780 Elizabeth Burton-Phillips has had first-hand experience of what it is to live with a child who is addicted to drugs.  Both her twin sons became addicts and one died before he could turn his life around.  Her experience is described in the book, ‘Mum, can you lend me twenty quid?’ which has now been turned into a play.

The first two performances of the play will be at The Citadel Arts Centre in St Helens, Merseyside from 7-30pm on Thursday 26th April and Friday 27th April 2012 followed by 2 performances at Wellington College, Crowthorne, Berks also at 7.30pm on Thursday 3rd and Friday 4th May and the last pilot performance will be performed at HMP Peterborough on Saturday 5th May at 2pm.

Elizabeth started the charity DrugFAM which supports parents of children with drug and alcohol addictions. See www.drugfam.co.uk for further information


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