An HMP Drug And Alcohol Rehabilitation Services (DARS) Celebration Day was held to celebrate the hard work achieved by recovery staff across North West prisons.
The event, on Tuesday 1st November at Wigan Athletic’s DW Stadium, saw prison DARS teams come together for a day of sharing, reflection and recognition.
John Illingsworth, Prisons Group Director for Cumbria and Lancashire, kicked off proceedings with a welcome speech at 09:30.
This was followed by a talk from Monica Sumner, Lead Care Co-ordinator at Delphi Medical, with her two year old therapy dog called Nelly.
Other guest speakers included Red Rose, Recovery Housing, two lived experience voices Björn Wisedale and Paul Hossner, and ABL’s Rebecca Fecitt.
After lunch, ‘Networking Bingo’ and table reflections, was an art and poetry talk by Janice Grounds.
The event came to a close with a Staff Awards presentation, recognising significant achievements of DARS employees.
Claire Illingworth, Delphi’s Area Operational Manager, said, “The event was a day to celebrate the North West prisons across all our organisations and to bring together staff with a collective goal. We wanted to share and celebrate best practice, as well as champion the work our teams do.”
Jeanette Collins, Spectrum’s Head of Recovery (NW), said, “It’s important to ensure that staff feel valued, so the event was a great way to acknowledge all the amazing work that takes place.”
HMP DARS Celebration Day was hosted by Change Grow Live, Humankind, Delphi Medical, HMPPS and Spectrum Community Health CIC.
