Champions

Our Champions

We are proud to be working alongside and with a number of organisations and groups who are committed to protecting their communities from gambling harm, and helping those experiencing harm to recover. Some of these network champions have developed their own strategies and plans for addressing gambling harm that we can learn from, whilst others are working across the network to set up tractable processes relevant to their contexts

Blackburn with Darwen Council

Blackburn with Darwen Council is a unitary authority with a statutory duty to promote the health and wellbeing of its residents. The Health and Wellbeing Board provides strategic oversight of all work addressing Gambling-Related Harms (GRH), ensuring a coordinated approach with local partners and stakeholders.

A borough-wide GRH needs assessment, developed in partnership with academic institutions, identified significantly elevated levels of harm. Local prevalence is estimated at 1.2%, three times higher than the national average (0.4%), affecting both adults and children. Residents are estimated to lose approximately £10.4 million annually to gambling, with harms disproportionately impacting deprived communities, where individuals are five times more likely to be affected.

In response, Blackburn with Darwen Council is committed to reducing GRH through a collaborative, system-wide approach. This includes participation in the Workplace Charter and the delivery of bi-monthly Gambling Harms Forum meetings, bringing together partners and stakeholders to coordinate activity, reduce risk, and implement a shared action plan across the borough, supported by OHID levy funding.

Lancashire Women

Lancashire Women is developing a new pan-Lancashire project to help prevent gambling-related harm among women and families.

The project will provide trauma-informed, gender-sensitive support through existing trusted services, including mental health, money advice, healthy relationships and probation pathways. It will support women at risk of gambling harm, as well as those affected by someone else’s gambling. We aim to break down the stigma and barriers associated with the hidden harms of gambling.

This will include outreach, partner training, sensitive screening, brief interventions, support with gambling-blocking tools, and shared learning through Communities of Practice.

We are keen to work with partners across Lancashire who support women and families experiencing disadvantage, including services linked to domestic abuse, mental health, housing, substance misuse, criminal justice, money advice and community support.

We are also keen to link with organisations that would like to be involved, access training, or discuss how the project could link with their services.

Red Rose Recovery

Red Rose Recovery was established as a charity in 2012 and has become nationally recognised as a pioneering organisation in developing recovery systems and creating opportunities for people affected by substance misuse, addiction, mental health, domestic abuse and offending behaviours.

As a Lived Experience Recovery Organisation, our staff’s personal and relatable experience provides inspiration and hope to people who are struggling to find a way forward. We work with a wide range of partner organisations in many different settings to build accessible and inclusive pathways for personal development and recovery.