Drug education charity, the DSM Foundation, celebrated its successes during the 2024-25 academic year at its Year In The Life event on Tuesday, October 15th, 2025.
The virtual event featured the release of the charity’s Year In The Life booklet, which highlights the impact of its various drug education initiatives. A number of speakers also shared their experiences with the DSM Foundation, discussing the ways in which the charity has made a difference in their lives and the lives of those they reach.
The Year In The Life booklet can be accessed here.
Among the speakers was Stewart McLauchlan, Quality Improvement Manager for Moray Council, who shared how and why engaging with the DSM Foundation to provide drug education to young people, parents, caregivers, and school staff has been beneficial. McLauchlan’s perspective can be viewed in a five-minute video here.
Sandra Larmour, parent of Jeni Larmour who tragically died after taking drugs as a fresher at Newcastle University, also spoke at the event. She discussed how and why she brought the DSM Foundation’s provision to Northern Ireland, and how the charity’s Theatre In Education tour of ‘I Love You, Mum – I Promise I Won’t Die’ impacted young people in the province. The short film, which is five minutes and 30 seconds long, also features Hannah Reilly, co-founder and co-director of Ever Unique Productions, who shares her experience working on the play that tells the story of 16-year-old Daniel Spargo-Mabbs, for whom the Foundation is named.
Penny Brown, Group Learning and Leadership Director at Benefact Group, also spoke at the event. She described how she brought the DSM Foundation’s drug education to young employees at her organization and the benefits it has had. Brown also discussed how she has helped the charity develop its workplace offering to benefit more corporate partners.
The DSM Foundation is a drug education charity that was established in 2014 after the tragic death of 16-year-old Daniel Spargo-Mabbs from an accidental overdose of ecstasy. The aim of the charity is to provide young people with relevant, age-appropriate, up-to-date, and evidence-based information about drugs so they can make informed decisions to keep themselves and their friends safe. Currently, the charity works with almost 750 schools, colleges, and community organizations to provide drug education to children and young people. The DSM Foundation also provides workshops for parents and caregivers and training for school and college staff.
To further its mission, the DSM Foundation commissioned a verbatim play by Mark Wheeller titled ‘I Love You Mum, I Promise I Won’t Die’ to tell Daniel’s story in the words of his family and friends. The play is available for schools and colleges to study, and a Theatre in Education performance can also be booked. Additionally, educational settings can download free, age-appropriate, evidence-based drug education resources from the DSM Foundation website for use in PSHE/PSE provision.
For more information about the DSM Foundation, please visit https://www.dsmfoundation.org.uk/.
Media inquiries regarding this press release or the work of the DSM Foundation can be directed to media@dsmfoundation.org.uk.
Derick is an experienced reporter having held multiple senior roles for large publishers across Europe. Specialist subjects include small business and financial emerging markets.