News Archive
2021 News

Thank you to Talbot and Big Yellow
We are very grateful to our corporate partners for supporting our work in different ways. We’re delighted that Talbot Underwriters have generously match funded the

Christmas campaign
Throughout December we will be sharing information, on our website and our Facebook page, about the 2022 Theatre in Education tours we are planning of

DSMF Christmas cards
With Christmas approaching you can support the DSMF when buying cards from https://makingadifference.cards/…/daniel-spargo-mabbs-found… – there is a great selection of printed cards & ecards, including these two new

Nikki – our new Administrator
We are really happy to welcome Nikki Adamson to join Team Dan as our new administrator. Nikki will be working alongside Amanda, organising our drug

DSMF Quiz
Our annual fundraising quiz will be on Saturday 27th November at 7pm in the Emmanuel Centre, South Croydon, and we’d love you to come if

‘I Love You Mum’ at the Edinburgh Fringe
For the second time in its still short life, the powerful play we commissioned Mark Wheeller to write, ‘I Love You, Mum – I Promise



National Drug and Alcohol Education Conference 2021
On Monday 28th June we were delighted to be able to welcome delegates from across the UK – in person! – to the third National

‘I Wish I’d Known’ in the media
Yesterday was a special day for Dan’s Foundation, his mum and our founder Fiona, and the book she wrote for parents, ‘I Wish I’d Known’.

Fiona’s best-selling book for parents is published
Today is Dan’s 24th birthday, and today the book his mum Fiona wrote for parents was published. ‘I Wish I’d Known’ interweaves the story of

Blog #9 The role peer can play in harm reduction: Learning from The Loop
Peer pressure gets a bad press when it comes to young people, and not without good cause. Research has demonstrated, and on many occasions, that

Blog #8 Festivals: how young is too young?
Every summer it happens – apart from last summer of course. Teens across the land pick up their GCSE results, pack up their bags and

Blog #7: Can mushrooms work magic when it comes to depression?
The effectiveness of psychoactive substances to treat various mental health conditions, from depression and anxiety to addiction, has seen growing interest in recent years. Studies

Foundation Conversation: What has been the impact of Covid19 on drug use?
How has Covid-19 affected young people in relation to the drugs that may or may not be around for them, and the additional or altered

Blog #6: Tackling transition
Our Mission Transition programme came about in 2017 and was an instant hit with those who used it, with its mix of drama and other

Keeping the conversation going
Moving to virtual learning platforms has not been a bad thing for the DSM Foundation. First and foremost, we have been able to keep providing

Third National Drugs and Alcohol Education Conference 2021 28 June 2021
A year after Covid-19 hijacked our original conference plans, and with restrictions finally being lifted, we’re really pleased to be able to confirm a new

Blog #6 A milestone marked in the county lines battle – but what do we do with demand?
The Met Police this week celebrated a significant milestone in the fight against county lines drug dealing. A total of 1,000 charges had been brought

Blog #5 2020 vision: Education, education, education…
Not long after Dan died, Fiona went into a couple of local schools to talk about what had happened to her beloved son. Her ambition

Blog #4 I wish I’d known – Fiona’s book for parents
As we enter a second year of Covid, and at time of writing a second national lockdown, the restrictions this has imposed on our lives

Blog #3 2020 vision: Dan’s play
One of the first things Dan’s family did after he died was commission a play about what happened to him, in a true testament to

Blog #2 A new normal – a new film of I love you, Mum
Were the world a place in any way normal at all, we’d just be gearing up this week to launch our sixth professional Theatre in

#ILYM GCSE set text
We were so excited to hear just before Christmas that Mark Wheeller’s play that tells Dan’s story will become a GCSE drama set text next

Blog #1 Here we go!
Welcome to our very first blog, the start of a regular slot. This new year begins with unprecedented challenge, with another national lockdown as the