Founder of Derby charity Lauren's Link nominated for award
THE founder of a Derby drugs charity has spoken of her
delight that it has been nominated for a national award for the
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IN MEMORY: Annette Rodgers with a picture of her daughter Lauren, after whom she named the drug help charity Lauren's Link
first time.
Lauren's Link, which was begun by Annette Rodgers eight
years ago after her 16-year-old daughter died of a heroin
overdose, has been nominated for a Tackling Drugs Changing
Lives award.
The accolades aim to celebrate the work of people in their
communities. Lauren's Link has been nominated for the team
category and is now in with a chance of winning £10,000 at an
awards ceremony in London in December.
Ms Rodgers said that regardless of whether the charity wins,
the real prize was the national recognition.
“I am overjoyed that we have been nominated. It is a reward
for all the hard work people have put in over the years,” she
said. “Lauren's Link has never been nominated for an award
before so I am very flattered that somebody thinks we are
worthy of this nomination.
“For me it has been a very personal journey and there has
been a lot of blood, sweat and tears. This is like the cherry
on the cake.”
Ms Rodgers started the charity two years after the death of
her daughter Lauren in June 1998. Lauren had become addicted to
heroin and overdosed weeks after coming out of a detoxification
clinic.
Ms Rodgers found there was nowhere for the families of drug
users to turn and, in November 2000, she started a weekly
self-help group which she ran in her spare time, called
Lauren's Link.
It was based in St Peter's House, in Gower Street, Derby,
and offered people a place to share their experiences.
In 2003, a £35,000 grant from Derby's Drug and Alcohol
Action Team allowed Ms Rodgers to leave her job as a life
skills co-ordinator and work on the charity full-time.
Ian Oliver, of Chiltern Gardens, Long Eaton, turned to
Lauren's Link after his son started showing signs of drug abuse
in July 2006.
The 52-year-old said: “My son started smoking cannabis and
taking cocaine and this was causing my wife and I a lot of
grief.
“We were struggling to understand what was happening because
we knew nothing about drugs. We went to Lauren's Link for
guidance and they helped us so much.
“I am so thrilled that the charity has been nominated
because it is such a worthy cause. For me, the bottom line is
that it saved my marriage.”
Judges in the Tackling Drugs Changing Lives awards will
select ten finalists and two overall winners – one individual
worker and one team.
Ms Rodgers added: “A lack of funding means that we are not
able to do a lot of the things we would like to. If we won the
award, we would ask the parents and carers how they would like
and use the money to help even more people.”
To contact Lauren's Link call Derby 362744 or visit
www.laurenslink.org.uk.
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