Lifeline project was a drug and alcohol abuse charity based in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

. It was established in 1971 by

Eugenie Cheesmond Dr Eugenie Hilda Dorothy Cheesmond (13 June 1919 – 11 October 2007) was a psychiatrist with a particular interest in drug addiction who formed the Lifeline charity in 1971. Early life in South Africa Eugenie Cheesmond was born in Hove, Bright ...

and Rowdy Yates, and with support from the Bishop of Manchester and the 8th Day Collective. Cheesmond had crossed swords with the Board at Parkside Hospital in Macclesfield about rehabilitation for drug users when she was their Registrar Psychiatrist. Yates, was an ex-addict and had been helped by Cheesmond. Lifeline began to run services across Yorkshire, the North East, the North West, London and the Midlands. The charity supported 900 people in

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

with a team of 50 staff made up of recovery workers, criminal justice workers, young people's workers, nurses, doctors and volunteers. They were involved in Thames Valley Police’s initiative for Alcohol Harm Reduction Week in

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, aiming to keep students who have left home for the first time safe from alcohol-related crime. Lifeline was involved in a safe haven for drunks and vulnerable people in Middlesbrough which was designed to relieve pressure on the casualty department at

James Cook University Hospital The James Cook University Hospital is a tertiary referral hospital and regional major trauma centre in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England located on the A172 (Marton Road). Having 1,046 beds, it caters for most specialities and forms par ...

freeing up A&E professionals to deal with genuine emergencies. In December 2014 Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust won a contract to lead the running of health services at both Strangeways prison and

HM Prison Buckley Hall Buckley Hall Prison is a Category C male prison in the Buckley district of Rochdale in North West England. It is operated by His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service. History Buckley Hall takes its name from Buckley Hall, a historic house ...

in Rochdale. They worked with Lifeline to deliver services aimed at reducing drug and alcohol problems among prisoners. Paul Flowers was chair of the organisation until 2014 when he was asked to resign over allegedly excessive expenses claims. On 19 May 2017, the charity collapsed, just after the

Charity Commission for England and Wales , type = Non-ministerial government department , seal = , seal_caption = , logo = Charity Commission for England and Wales logo.svg , logo_caption = , formed = , preceding1 = , d ...

launched an investigation into its financial controls. At that time it employed almost 1,500 people. CGL were expected to take over some of their staff and projects.

References

External links

Lifeline project
{{UK-charity-stub Charities based in England Addiction organisations in the United Kingdom