Over the past 3 years Beacon Counselling Trust have been an integral part of the Cumbria gambling harms prevention group. This group has brought together organisations from across the area, from local authorities in Cumberland, Westmorland and Furness, big employers such as Sellafield, drug and alcohol services CADAS, and Recovery Steps, alongside key frontline organisations, such as Citizens Advice.
Since the well received ‘Addressing Gambling Harms across Cumbria’ Conference in November 2021, the group meets on a regular basis to develop strategies to reduce gambling harms in Cumbria. Through promoting BCT’s education offer, in particular the delivery of the ‘Bet You Can Help’ programme and engaging in early intervention campaigns, such as the gambling harms awareness week in June 2023, which identified and offers support to individuals in Cumbria impacted by their own or someone else’s gambling.
The latest piece of work developed by the group features the story of local resident Luke and his relationship with gambling. Funded in a partnership between Sellafield and Cumberland Council, a short, animated video has been created to show Luke’s journey, exploring how Luke started to gamble, to the development of gambling-related harms. The video details how this issue has impacted his own life, but also that of those around him, particularly his family and shows how Luke accessed support with Beacon Counselling Trust and his ongoing recovery. You can watch the video below:
Beacon Counselling Trust will continue to support the prevention groups work in Cumbria and have developed an exciting relationship with Cumbria Addictions: Advice and Solutions (CADAS), which will look to develop the existing programmes in the area to provide more promotion of BCT services and reduce gambling related harms.