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Last month saw the official opening of the Lighthouse Social
Club in New Cross, south London.
DDN
hears how the club is
offering a lifeline to service users from a range of sectors
Services |
User support
people with histories of substance misuse. It’s very
eclectic,’ says Banham. There are now around 30
regular attendees, with the number growing all the
time. ‘A lot of people tell us that the project is their
highlight of the week,’ he adds.
That’s partly because of the quality of what’s on
offer, stresses Callahan. ‘We want to make it like a
Costa Coffee or Starbucks – I like to put on a good
show. Traditionally it’s been like the soup kitchens,
with a dollop of shite thrown on a plate and you’re
supposed to appreciate it, but we put a bit of care
into what we offer. I’m not going to cook
something I wouldn’t eat myself, and I’m fussy. We
do it on a limited budget but we offer a good meal.’
The next step is to open an office in order to
offer advocacy as well as advice on employment,
benefits and housing. ‘Hopefully we can really train
up a few service users to help deliver it, and also
have space for Stephen and myself to do the admin
work, because at the moment we have to do it in
our flats,’ says Banham. ‘We’d also like to use the
space for short-term part-time placements for
service users, as a step towards paid employment.’
So what advice would they offer to anyone
thinking of doing something similar? ‘Start small,
and just keep going,’ says Callahan. ‘We were doing
chicken and chips for ten or 20 people, but the next
thing you know people realise there’s somewhere
safe to go where no one’s going to bother them,
where they can have a natter and socialise, get off
the street and have a nice meal. You keep badgering
the DAAT and if you’ve got a service user coordinator
– we’re lucky to have one who’s very proactive – grab
them and get them to go with your vision.’
‘Get ready for a very turbulent ride,’ adds
Banham. ‘You need to be able to commit a lot of
hours each week to fundraising, organising and
coordinating, but the satisfaction of achieving
something like this is worth every minute.
Ultimately if you’re willing to put in the work it’s
not impossible at all.’
‘I’ve got three young children, and I want to
show that change is possible,’ says Callahan.
‘Daddy fucked up but he’s sorted himself out and
he’s now back assimilated into society, and making
a difference. It’s been great. I was on the floor, and
to be director of a company, to be running some-
thing that makes a big difference to a lot of people,
is incredible.’
DDN
www.lighthousesocialclub.org.uk
If you’d to get involved or help please email
markdbanham@yahoo.co.uk
BEACONS
OFHOPE
When the Lighthouse Social Club held the grand
opening of its second site last month it marked a
long journey from very humble beginnings
, when
co-directors Mark Banham and Stephen Callahan
began hosting small gatherings for service users to
fill the ‘massive void’ in the local area. ‘I got involved
with the Lewisham Service User Council,’ says
Banham. ‘They suggested setting up a social club for
people accessing substance misuse treatment,
people who are often very socially excluded. We set
up a very small club of around 20 people to begin
with, but then I got grants from various places and
we started to get bigger.’
Now there are two Lighthouse Social Clubs
offering a place for people to socialise and begin
building new networks – one in Deptford’s Salvation
Army Church and the new site at Telegraph Hill
Community Centre in New Cross – with Banham
and Callahan equal partners in the project. ‘Basically,
I make the money and he spends it,’ says Banham. ‘It
takes so much time to get the money, so I tend to go
for the grants while he organises things, such as the
grand opening.’ That was attended not only by DAAT
and service user representatives but Joan Ruddock
MP and Sir Steve Bullock, mayor of Lewisham.
‘Mark will sit at the computer all day looking at
grant applications, whereas I’m more hands on,’ says
Callahan, whose involvement followed a six-month
stint in rehab. ‘I was put into a dry house in
Lewisham and sort of just dumped there,’ he says.
‘There was no aftercare plan or anything like that so I
got in touch with Lewisham DAAT and they said
there was a little social club going, which was where
I met Mark. He wanted to develop it further – form a
company and look at getting some funds together –
and asked me to get on board.’
The Telegraph Hill Centre opens three Tuesdays a
month and offers free tea, coffee and hot chocolate
as well as panini, soups, salads and board games,
with the initial money coming from the Big Lottery
Fund. ‘That’s pretty much given us seed money to
allow us to look for something more sustainable,’
says Banham. ‘The Co-operative Group has also
given money for an espresso machine.’
The project has been a registered independent
social enterprise since late 2009 and, while
completely peer-led, it’s not just a place for clients of
substance misuse services – both in terms of those
organising and attending. ‘Stephen and myself are
service users, and we take volunteers in from the
service user sector – people with mental health
issues, learning disabilities, physical disabilities,
Joan Ruddock MP and Sir Steve Bullock, mayor
of Lewisham, at the grand opening of the
Lighthouse Social Club
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drinkanddrugsnews
| 7 March 2011
www.drinkanddrugsnews.com