Kent woman to urge parliament over charity funding

A woman from Kent is set to speak in parliament to urge the government to reinstate funding for a helpline for children of alcoholic parents.

Sarah Drage, from New Romney, will speak later alongside Calum Best, the son of football legend George Best.

She hopes the government will fund the National Association for the Children of Alcoholics (Nacoa) helpline.

The government said it had invested £6m in a programme dedicated to support children of alcohol-dependent children.

Ms Drage, whose father died from alcohol addiction, said: "What Nacoa does for children is vitally important. It's a lifeline. It's a resource."

"To have that ability to pick up a phone and talk to somebody who understands it, well it's like talking to somebody in a different language.

"We all understand it, and it's only a language that we understand, and I think that's really quite something."

For help and support on alcohol abuse check out BBC Action Line here.

Calum Best has been vocal about his father's addiction in the past.

He said: "My dad had an alcohol-dependency problem that affected our relationship throughout my whole life."

Mr Best, who is the chairman of Dorking Wanderers Football Club's women's team, said he believed by telling his story it would make it easier for children living with alcohol-dependent parents to seek support.

Nacoa runs a free helpline and offers online support.

For a number of years the service received government money as part of a wider package of measures, but that support finished in 2022.

The Department of Health and Social Care said it had invested £6m in the Children of Alcohol Dependent Parents programme.

It has also published a 10-year drug strategy, and is investing an extra £532m over the next two years to create more than 50,000 places in integrated drug and alcohol treatment services.

Specialist alcohol care teams are also being funded by the government in 25% of hospitals where they are most needed.

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