50 Hours For 50 Years – The Three Peaks
To help celebrate GM’s 50th birthday, we are attempting the Three Peaks Challenge of climbing Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon, the three highest peaks in Scotland, England and Wales. Whilst it can be done in 24 hours; we aim to do it over two days, hence our 50 hours slogan. Let’s hope the weather is good! This should mean that anyone who wishes to take part can do so and we will all get up and down ok, assisted by experienced guides and have plenty of time to take in the views.
This challenge is all about bringing people together and celebrating both personal and professional achievements. We have had lots of our staff team sign up to take part and plenty of our ex-residents. Our three peaks challenge is open to loved ones as well, and many people are taking the opportunity to bring someone along to share the experience and raise awareness (and funds) for Gordon Moody as a reminder of how far they’ve come and to give back.
The three peaks challenge is a huge logistical task but one that is well worth taking on for both the individual and collective euphoria that will come as we descend Snowdon and say we took on the Three Peaks Challenge, and we won! After all, we can achieve anything if we put our minds to it.
David Hollingsworth, Residential Treatment Centre Manager, Beckenham.
Bridge To Freedom Walk
On Saturday 26th June, a group of women came together to complete a sponsored walk in support of raising awareness of gambling addiction and the support that we offer to women (and men, of course) at Gordon Moody. The walk was the idea of Tracy, who attended the Retreat and Counselling programme in January 2019, and it brought together women that had completed the programme over the years, other women in recovery, friends and family, and those just wanting to offer support.
It struck me as we walked in our t-shirts highlighting our purpose, the pride, support and sense of unity amongst a group of people, most of whom had never met before or who had only met via Zoom. How nice it was to see people in 3D instead of on a flat-screen! Gambling leads to feelings of isolation as you disconnect from your loved ones and those around you; this walk was all about reconnecting. In only a few hours, bonds were forming, and we laughed as we tried (successfully, thankfully) to dodge the bikes in London!
The weather was kind to us, and the sun shone as we took a gentle walk from Westminster, walking over 7 bridges before we completed the journey to Tower Bridge. In the end, we treated ourselves to much-needed rest and a bit of food at Pizza Express.
The back of the t-shirts read, ‘You are never alone; this perfectly summed up the day.
Same again next year?!
Kerri Nicholls, Retreat & Counselling Programme Outreach Recovery Worker.
New Gordon Moody Head Office.
In the coming weeks, our head office will be moving into new bricks and mortar. As we return to the office, we’re returning to a new space bigger than our previous central office, allowing more events, meetings, and collaboration with our gambling harm partners.
Our new space has collaborated with Sophia Powell and features our new branding and visual identity, which was created by Simon & Nigel at Visible Futures.
While we welcome a new space and a fresh coat of paint, we also welcome new faces with new team members as we continue to grow our reach and extend our services. Chloe (Marketing), Shannen (HR& Finance), Sarah (Services), and Alex (Services) all join the Gordon Moody team this Summer. We also prepare to recruit for our new Women’s gambling harm treatment centre; see our recruitment page for opportunities and openings.