Drug awareness charity forced to close

A drug awareness charity in Cumbria that was praised by David Cameron and won its founder an MBE has been forced to close down.

The Rising Sun Trust and its innovative Know Project used to visit schools in Workington, Whitehaven, and Carlisle to teach children about the dangers of drug abuse. Dave Smith founded the charity in 1999 after his son died as a result of substance misuse.

Mr Smith is devastated at the prospect of closing down the trust. He said: “We’re devastated to be closing as we strive to prevent young people exploring the same paths we have experienced or witnessed. The young people of Cumbria are missing out on a vital part of life education. There’s simply no funding for this type of project.”

Mr Smith explained that the project was forced to close when the crime commissioner’s community fund decided not to support the cause, even though it had previously praised the trust.

Eric Field, a former drugs squad officer who works at the trust, explained why the work of The Rising Sun Trust is so important: “Sadly, teachers generally don’t know enough about these issues and we have been able to go into schools and tell pupils real stories. We don’t tell children to not take drugs. We simply spell out the consequences.”

It costs around £60,000 a year to operate the trust, which is a relatively small cost for a charity that helped 3,150 young people in 2013.

The charity had been running for 15 years and was getting better every year. It was teaching children in Cumbria about the real dangers of taking drugs, providing advice direct from recovered drug addicts and parents of children who have suffered from drug abuse.