Northlands Centre has been ‘transforming lives and challenging shame and stigma of addiction’ for 50 years in Derry
The Northlands Centre in Derry has ‘transformed lives and challenged the shame and stigma of addiction’ over the past 50 years, Foyle MLA Sinéad McLaughlin has observed.
“This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Northlands centre in Derry. For half a century, it has carried a simple but life-changing message: recovery is possible, people matter and no one should face addiction alone.
"What began in the 1970s as an education initiative has grown into something far greater. Northlands became a community of support and, ultimately, a regional treatment centre that has helped people from across the North.
"Its work has not only transformed lives but challenged the shame and stigma that so often surround addiction. It has replaced silence with understanding and brought hope to those who were in despair,” the SDLP MLA told colleagues in the Stormont Assembly on Monday.
She was speaking as the Northlands addiction centre prepares to host its 50th anniversary gala dinner to celebrate a half century of specialist addiction treatment, recovery and community in Derry.
Mrs. McLaughlin said it would be difficult to find a family in Derry whose story had not been touched by the care, professionalism and humanity offered by the charity.
Recent figures reported in this paper showed almost 400 people died of alcohol-specific causes in Derry and Strabane between 2014 and 2024.
There were 392 deaths in Derry and Strabane over the decade with the city posting the second highest per capita are in the North.
Between 2014 and 2024 the number of alcohol-specific deaths registered in Derry and Strabane rose by 81 per cent from 21 in 2014 to 38 in 2024.
"The demand for addiction services is rising, substances are evolving and the challenges facing families are becoming more complex and more urgent,” said Mrs. McLaughlin.
"Those working on the front line are clear in their message: without additional capacity, need will outstrip provision. If we are serious about valuing recovery, we must be serious about investing in it.
"That requires a joined-up commitment to ensure that the north-west has a fully supported, properly resourced residential addiction treatment centre that is capable of meeting present and future needs.
"The people who seek help are not statistics but our neighbours, our friends, our sons and our daughters. They deserve more than recognition.
"They deserve action that matches the courage it takes for them to ask for help.”
She paid tribute to Tommy Canning, head of treatment, and all of the staff and volunteers at the local service.
“As we mark 50 years of extraordinary service, I extend my sincere thanks to Tommy and all the staff, volunteers and everyone who has sustained the vital work at Northlands. I also urge the Minister of Health to match that determination so that hope and recovery remain available to every family who need it in the decades ahead,” she said.
Tickets are now on sale for the Northlands 50th anniversary dinner.
The fundraising event will be hosted by Michael Doherty in the Everglades Hotel on Saturday, February 21.
Tickets can be purchased at: http://bit.ly/4qj3Bt6
To support Northlands you can make a donation at https://northlands.org.uk/support-us/