Miranda Jessop meets the drugs campaigner spurred on by her own tragic loss...
I am one of 100 parents attending a drug and alcohol awareness workshop at my daughters’ secondary school in Twickenham. There is complete silence in the hall and all eyes are on Fiona Spargo-Mabbs as she recounts the tragic story of how her 16-year-old son lost his life on January 20, 2014, after taking MDMA at an illegal rave.
Since then, Fiona has devoted her life to educating other teenagers and their parents about the dangers of drug use. She and her husband, Tim set up the Daniel Spargo-Mabbs Foundation from their home in Croydon little more than a week after they lost Dan. “Taking drugs wasn’t the kind of thing he usually did and we felt very strongly that, if it could happen to Dan, it really could happen to anybody."
“Our whole community was in shock and the charity started from this really passionate commitment to stop any harm happening to anyone else’s child.”
The Foundation works with young people, parents, carers, teachers and professionals to ensure every child and young person has the information, understanding and life skills to make informed, healthy and safe choices about drugs and alcohol. Free of charge to state-funded schools, the charity offers assemblies, talks and interactive workshops, planning and resources for PSHE lessons and form time, staff training as well as workshops for parents and carers.
Alongside its successful youth ambassador programme, one of its most effective tools is the play about Dan’s life. I Love You Mum, I Promise I Won’t Die which is titled after Dan’s final assurance to his mother before he went out that fateful night. The script consists of the actual words expressed by his family and friends.
“Drama is an incredibly powerful way to communicate important messages to teenagers and Mark Wheeller’s verbatim play has become a core part of our vision to enable young people to understand the risks and potential consequences and impact of experimenting with drugs.”
The charity has also recently commissioned a series of short films and Dan’s Story has become the starting point of its new digital drug education programme for schools across the UK.
The second film Doctors on Drugs emerged from a conversation Fiona had at a parents’ workshop with a father who works as an A&E consultant. “He was keen to help because he regularly has to make calls to parents about young people who have come into A&E as a result of drugs and alcohol.”
The result is a powerful short film which presents the potential medical consequences of using drugs or drinking to excess.
As well as reaching out to young people, educating parents is key, and a third film project is currently underway which will cover the information provided at parents’ workshops.
“We hope this will help many more parents and carers get the information they need to have effective conversations.”
Fiona’s advice is to start talking to your child about drugs and alcohol as early as age 10 or 11. “Try to make these conversations as natural and normal as possible and, as they get older, it’s really important that your teenager feels they can be listened to without being judged.”
She is also keen to stress to parents just how easily available drugs are today. “The accessibility of substances of all sorts is much easier than ever before through the internet and social media. Parents should also be aware that many drugs, including cannabis, are so much stronger now than they used to be.”
As for parents like myself, whose eldest teenager is off to her first festival this summer, there is a new website called festivalsafe.com which was launched last summer.
“It’s a really good place to go for all sorts of general information about staying safe. There is a higher exposure to drugs at music festivals than anywhere else to make sure she is aware that she will see drugs being quite openly used as well as being openly offered. The main drugs are likely to be cannabis, ketamine, MDMA and nitrous oxide so go to a website like talktofrank.com to make sure you are both well informed of all the potential risks.
“A real concern is that these drugs are being made in such a chaotic way and by people who really don’t care so, unless they are properly tested, there’s no way of knowing what’s actually in them.”
Currently working with over 300 schools, the charity is looking to expand nationally. “People have used substances since the dawn of time but the range, the variety, the access and the affordability are at a level like never before so education is vital.
“When I stand up in front of a hall full of young people, my final message to them, as Dan’s mum, is to know that they are more precious to so many more people than they will ever imagine. I just care so passionately about them not ending up like Dan.”
For more information or to become a Friend of the Daniel Spargo-Mabbs Foundation; dsmfoundation.org.uk
