Champions

Our Champions

We are proud to be working alongside and with a number of organisations and groups who are committed to protecting their communities from gambling harm, and helping those experiencing harm to recover. Some of these network champions have developed their own strategies and plans for addressing gambling harm that we can learn from, whilst others are working across the network to set up tractable processes relevant to their contexts

Blackburn with Darwen Council

Blackburn with Darwen Council is a unitary authority with a statutory duty to promote the health and wellbeing of its residents. The Health and Wellbeing Board provides strategic oversight of all work addressing Gambling-Related Harms (GRH), ensuring a coordinated approach with local partners and stakeholders.

A borough-wide GRH needs assessment, developed in partnership with academic institutions, identified significantly elevated levels of harm. Local prevalence is estimated at 1.2%, three times higher than the national average (0.4%), affecting both adults and children. Residents are estimated to lose approximately £10.4 million annually to gambling, with harms disproportionately impacting deprived communities, where individuals are five times more likely to be affected.

In response, Blackburn with Darwen Council is committed to reducing GRH through a collaborative, system-wide approach. This includes participation in the Workplace Charter and the delivery of bi-monthly Gambling Harms Forum meetings, bringing together partners and stakeholders to coordinate activity, reduce risk, and implement a shared action plan across the borough, supported by OHID levy funding.