Drug education charity, the DSM Foundation, celebrated its achievements during the 2024-25 academic year at its Year In The Life event on Tuesday, October 15th, 2025.
The online event showcased the release of the charity’s Year In The Life booklet, which highlights the extensive reach and impact of its drug education activities. The event also featured several speakers who shared their experiences of working with the DSM Foundation and the positive effects it has had on their lives and the lives of those they reach.
The Year In The Life booklet and more information about the charity can be found on their website.
Among the speakers was Stewart McLauchlan, Quality Improvement Manager at Moray Council, who provided insight into the benefits of engaging with the DSM Foundation for drug education programs for young people, parents, caregivers, and school staff.
Sandra Larmour, parent of Jeni Larmour who tragically died after taking drugs as a fresher at Newcastle University, also spoke about her decision to bring the DSM Foundation’s education programs to Northern Ireland. The short film also featured Hannah Reilly, co-founder and co-director of Ever Unique Productions, who discussed the impact of their Theatre In Education tour of ‘I Love You, Mum – I Promise I Won’t Die’ in schools, which tells the story of 16-year-old Daniel Spargo-Mabbs, the inspiration behind the DSM Foundation.
Penny Brown, Group Learning and Leadership Director at Benefact Group, shared her experience of bringing the DSM Foundation’s drug education to young employees at her organization and the positive effects it has had on their workplace culture. She also highlighted the charity’s efforts to develop its workplace offering for more corporate partners.
Established in 2014, the DSM Foundation is a drug education charity that was founded after the accidental overdose of 16-year-old Daniel Spargo-Mabbs. The Spargo-Mabbs family recognized the lack of resources and support available to schools and decided to establish the charity to prevent other families from experiencing the same tragedy.
The charity’s mission is to provide young people with relevant, age-appropriate, and evidence-based information about drugs, equipping them with the necessary skills to make safe decisions for themselves and their peers. Currently, the charity works with almost 750 schools, colleges, and community organizations, offering workshops for parents, caregivers, and training for school staff. They also provide “I Love You, Mum – I Promise I Won’t Die,” a verbatim play by Mark Wheeller that tells Daniel’s story through the words of his family and friends. The play is also available for study as a set text for GCSE Drama on the Eduqas syllabus, and schools and colleges can book a Theatre in Education performance. In addition, the charity offers free, age-appropriate, and evidence-based drug education lesson resources for teachers to use in PSHE/PSE provision.
For more information about the DSM Foundation and its work, visit their website at https://www.dsmfoundation.org.uk/.
Media inquiries about this press release or the work of the DSM Foundation can be directed to media@dsmfoundation.org.uk.
