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Dunlewey Addiction Services

DUNLEWEY GALA BALL

Celebrating 35 Years

Of Unlocking the Door to Personal Growth, Learning and Change

35

YEARS

19TH AUGUST 2022

BELFAST CITY HALL

EVENT OVERVIEW

We are celebrating 35 years of addiction services!

On August 19th 2022, services-users, staff and friends of Dunlewey gathered in Belfast City Hall for a night of

entertainment, inspiration and fun in order to celebrate Dunlewey Addiction Services reaching

its 35 year anniversary of providing guidance and support to those on the path of recovery.

On August 19th 2022,

services-users, staff and friends

of Dunlewey gathered in Belfast City Hall

for a night of entertainment,

inspiration and fun in order to celebrate

Dunlewey Addiction Services reaching

its 35 year anniversary of providing guidance

to those in search of the path to recovery.

A Night of Entertainment, Inspiration & Celebration

Drama and Movement Piece

The talented performers from the Lights Camera Action group of Clonmore Youth Club worked in collaboration with the Craic Theatre to create an inspiring addiction recovery-themed drama & movement piece which was recorded and displayed at our GALA Ball. The group worked under the guidance of professional performer Sean O’Neill and copywriting expert Aoibh Johnson to create something truly special.

Service-user Projects Showcase

Featured on the night was an impressive display of various artwork our service-users had created. Everyone in attendance was blown away at the level of skill and creativity our service users showcased on the night. Also on display at our 35-year celebration was the Dunlewey Stories of Recovery book titled “You Have to Fall Before you Fly”, this book offers help and guidance from those with first-hand experience of the journey to recovery, as well as a selection of incredible poems highlighting each person’s individual battle with addiction. The “stories of recovery” book was created to inspire, motivate and educate.

Special Guests: Robin Swann (Health Minister MLA), Nuala McKeever (Comedian / Actress) and Christina Black (Lord Mayor of Belfast)

We are proud to say we had three incredible special guests join us for our celebrations. Thank you to Robin Swann (Health Minister MLA) who delivered an impactful speech and presented awards, Christina Black (Lord Mayor of Belfast ) who had everyone captivated with her speech and Nuala McKeever (comedian/actress) who had us smiling all night long with her quick-witted humour and fun personality.

 

Awards Presentation

Awards were presented to Dunlewey’s previous and current directors including founder Jo Daykin-Goodall, Annette Daykin-Goodall and Pauline Campbell for their dedication throughout the years and the incredible work they have accomplished with Dunlewey Addiction Services.

Volunteer Awards Presentation

‘You Inspire Us!”
 
This event gave us a special opportunity to show our appreciation for our amazing volunteers. Awards with the words “You Inspire Us” engraved on them were presented by Robin Swann (Health Minister MLA). Congratulations to Kieran Brogan, Mabel Graham, Elaine Elliot, Racheal Magill, Angela Dunlop and Deborah McGarry who each received an award for their work with Dunlewey.

Speeches

From inspiring stories and displays of appreciation to diving deep into the history of Dunlewey Addiction Services, the night was packed full of interesting people, topics and stories.

Various speakers were featured on the night including Jo Daykin-Goodall (Founder), Annette Daykin-Goodall (Former Director) Pauline Campbell (Director), Christina Black (Lord Mayor of Belfast), Robin Swann (Health Minister MLA), Lauren Walls (board member), Rowan Vernon and many more.

Entertainment

As well as performances from “The Professionals” and harpist Sharon Carroll, everyone got a chance to see just how talented our service users really are when Neill Irwin took to the stage to showcase his incredible singing and songwriting abilities and “The Recovery Choir” (a choir consisting of Dunlewey service users) delivered an uplifting and powerful performance.

Service-user Monologue

Stephanie McKernan (Young Persons & Families Team Coordinator) delivered a moving monologue written by service user group, facilitated by Antonette Morelli.

Staff & Friends of Dunlewey

Seeing our staff members who have enabled Dunlewey Addiction Services to thrive for 35 years come together with those who have supported our services and those who have used our services was a truly special way of celebrating this milestone.

Thank you to everyone who has supported us throughout the years and to our hard working staff who have provided countless hours of life changing counselling services with our present team delivering 10,300 hours of care and support to individuals and families in 2021 alone.

View Full GALA Ball Gallery

SUPPORT DUNLEWEY & OUR EVENTS

Click the link below to make a donation towards supporting our future programmes, events and addiction support services.

We are thankful for every donation made as they allow us to provide the best treatment and support possible to those dealing with addiction issues. Every donation received allows us to do our job more effectively, helping more people overcome addiction and discover the path to recovery.

Thank You