“I lost my mum twice, her real self and her physical self. Alcohol changes a person and it did just that to my mum, Kitty. She was clever, brave, inappropriately funny, generous and one of the most loving people there was. Ask anyone who knew her before she started drinking a lot and they wouldn't be able to agree more.
I would do anything to get my mum back. Anything. I don't want anyone else to ever go through what I'm going through, or to have this massive hole that's going to be within my heart for the rest of my life.
That's why I'm fundraising for Alcohol Change UK, because my mum deserves to be remembered for everything that she was. Don't get me wrong, she wasn't perfect, but who really is? I'm not saying she didn't hurt me because she did, but that was her alcohol side. I want to prevent alcohol harm and all the awful effects of it. Our drinking culture does, I believe, encourage and normalise this.
Did you know that 20 people in the UK die as a result of alcohol harm every day? That's not just statistics. That's a person. A person with aspirations, dreams, fears, faults, talents and their own unique personality. That's 20 communities broken.
So why aren't we doing more about it? We can all start by doing a little thing. Whether that's being a listening ear, sticking to a sensible number of units or doing a sponsored Dry January.
I love you mum, more than you'll ever know."
