On 13th April 2024 me, Mark and my amazing friends will be walking the Northumberland Coast Marathon in memory of my Dad and to raise money for Nacoa. The 26 mile walk will start at Alnwick Castle then along the beautiful coast of Northumberland, finally finishing at Bamburgh Castle.

I am choosing to support Nacoa as my Dad was an alcoholic and sadly his struggle took him away from us in July 2022, far too soon. Grieving my Dad is something I carry every day and it infiltrates every aspect of my life. I will never get over the trauma of living with a parent with addiction, but I am very slowly learning to process it.

Many people don’t think that addiction is that common but, sadly, it has impacted our family more than once. What many of you won’t know is that my Mum and Ben also lost their Mum (my Grandma) to addiction too. It is a cruel and devastating illness, that impacts not only the one with the illness but everyone around them.

I was and still am lucky to have a great support network around me, some of which are joining me on the walk, but it is estimated that 1 in 5 children in the UK are affected by their parents drinking, often leaving them feeling isolated and alone with no one to turn to.

Nacoa (The National Association for Children of Alcoholics) is a Bristol based charity founded in 1990 to provide help and support for everyone affected by a parent’s drinking.

They believe that every child has the right to a happy childhood and to live a creative and meaningful life but when drink is the family secret they are more likely to experience family violence, neglect and other problems in their own homes.

So I am doing this for me, for Lily Dixon, for Jayne Dixon Bamling, for Ben Bamling and for all of the children of alcoholics, irrespective of age.

I want to end the stigma around talking about addiction and break the silence for those that can't, either because they are not ready or are no longer around to do so 💔

If you’re living in silence, please know you’re not alone, there is help out there and lots of people who understand. Equally, if you’ve broken your silence, keep going, keep asking for help and keep sharing your story. It really will make a difference.