Chair of Trustee’s Roadshow – Tony Adams’ national tour of Forward support services underway – first update
Tony’s pre-planned series of visits – along with Forward’s CEO Mike Trace, is an integral part of his induction into the Chair role. Tony will see firsthand the breadth and scope of Forward’s many diverse support services across our national footprint – including East Kent, Merseyside and South Wales, plus many more.
Visit 1 – Tony Adams in Margate
Kicking things off, Tony and Mike recently spent the day at our Margate (Thanet) Hub meeting staff and gaining an insight into our substance use and employment support services. This was followed by a networking event, hosted by ROAR Kent, at Margate FC with service users and partners from across the recovery community that have benefited from our services. The visit even gained media coverage, including from BBC News.
A video of Tony’s time at the ROAR/Margate FC event is below (filmed and edited by Kent Online / KMTV).
Tony Adams interviewed about his visit to Margate (video by KMTV)
Visit 2- Tony Adams in Wales
In the second roadshow visit, Tony and Mike received a warm Welsh welcome. The morning was designed to enable Tony to see how our Incentivised Substance Free Living wing operated in HMP Cardiff. This specialised programme follows a 12-week abstinence-based drug treatment approach known locally as ‘Y Bont’ (based on the 12-step model for recovery from addiction, but with additional elements).
In the afternoon at the Bike Lock cafe, Tony and Mike met with former Y Bont service users and staff from our Camau service which provides steps to safe and stable accommodation for male probation clients following release.
Special thanks to HMP Cardiff’s acting Governor, Andrew Phillips, HMPPS Director, Ian Barrow, Regional Probation Director, Nic Davies, and all the HMPPS staff who gave up their time to join us on the day.
Tony’s reflections on the roadshow so far
Speaking about the roadshow, Tony said:
“I have more motivation than ever to support those experiencing addiction and the criminal justice system.
“As an Ambassador of the Forward Trust for the last 20 years, I have seen at first-hand the amazing work they do and have always been a vocal supporter of the programmes and support they provide. Their work with ex-offenders and specifically the scourge of addiction is one particularly close to my heart as a recovering addict and ex offender.
“I am proud, honoured and excited to have been given the role of Chair of Trustees and enjoying visiting the programmes around the country to see the transformational work being done.”
Tony Adams – a brief return to football at the Emma Urquhart football fundraiser (28 June)
Aside from the roadshow, Tony has also kindly decided to lace up his boots in support of a memorial fundraising event (28 June) in Margate. Following his visit to Thanet Hub, Tony is participating in ‘The Emma Urquhart Football Fundraiser‘ – sponsored by The Forward Trust – to commemorate Emma who was a wonderful colleague, Mother and partner. This event will see two teams – ROAR Kent versus The Forward Trust – battle it out at Margate FC to raise money for recovery services.
Tony’s roadshow (so far)
- Margate – Thanet Hub / Margate FC (ROAR Kent event)
- Cardiff – HMP Cardiff – including Camau Probation Service
- Liverpool – The Brink Liverpool / Liverpool SHARP day treatment
More to follow!