UK: MP Runs Marathon for CoA
British Member of Parliament and shadow health secretary of the Labor party, Jonathan Ashworth, completed the London Marathon to help raise awareness and funds for the work to support children from families with alcohol problems.
Mr Ashworth had the support of Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn, who lives free from alcohol himself.
Good luck to our Shadow Health Secretary @JonAshworth who is running the London Marathon tomorrow. He’s raising money for @Nacoauk which does such important work with children of alcoholics, a cause close to his heart. If you can, please support him here: https://t.co/gcToFmdq7Q
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) April 27, 2019
Epidemic proportions: alcohol use disorder, children affected from parents’ alcohol use
In the UK over 600,000 people are suffering from alcohol addiction. Approximately 2 million children grow up with a parent with an alcohol problem. Nevertheless, the number of adults receiving alcohol treatment has fallen by 11,000 in recent years.
Mr. Ashworth also revealed that he has “suffered in silence” during his childhood as his dad struggled with alcohol. Running the London marathon was also in memory of his father who had passed away due to alcohol.
Mr. Ashworth and other members of parliament are making a systematic effort in Westminster to address the issues children from parents with alcohol problems face.
More than £5000 raised
On his Just Giving page, Mr. Ashworth wrote about the motivation to run the London Marathon:
I am running the London Marathon 2019 for The National Association For Children Of Alcoholics because it’s a cause close to my heart.
I’m running both the London Half Marathon (Sunday 10th March) and the London Marathon (Sunday 28th April) for every child of an alcoholic. I enjoyed it so much last year that I thought I’d run it for a third time. So, please help me raise money for the charity NACOA this year.
If you want to hear about why this cause is so important to me, please listen to my appearance on Nick Robinson’s Political Thinking Podcast
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. We 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.”
Mr. Ashworth was able to raise more than £5000 for NACOA and their important work. IOGT International and NACOA regularly collaborate to help raise awareness of the reality and needs of children from alcohol affected families.
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