About Evolve
Our mission is to provide dedicated services to young people, adults,
families, professionals, and organisations to promote understanding,
awareness, and education on the consequences of Substance Misuse,
Volatile Substance Misuse, Vaping, and County Lines.
We are committed
to working towards the prevention of related deaths, illnesses, accidents,
crimes, and their impact on families and communities, creating a safer,
stronger, and healthier environment.
Our services include education, confidential support, counselling, mental
health first aid, and information to all those affected by such misuse. We
provide these services free of charge.
We actively encourage the involvement of children and young people in
all aspects of our service provision.
Our two co-founders bring extensive expertise in Volatile Substance Misuse (VSA), totalling 40 years of combined experience in the field. Barbara Skinner, MBE, a former nurse, established a highly successful VSA charity in 1989, driven by the tragic loss of her son Darren to VSA. Serving as the CEO, she dedicated herself to VSA prevention until her "retirement" in 2012.
Ally Hodgson, a qualified counsellor and educator in VSA, faced the harsh reality of substance misuse when her 23-year-old nephew was murdered in 2007.
After Barbara's retirement and Ally's redundancy, they identified a significant service gap in VSA care, leading to the creation of a new charity - Evolve. Focused on education for prevention, Evolve aims to support individuals struggling with substance misuse by offering counselling and family support. Operating within communities, Evolve seeks to empower individuals to rediscover their self-worth, make positive choices, and strive for a brighter future through targeted services such as education, early intervention, counselling, and family support programmes.
Our Team
Christian
Drug related murder, aged 23.
Darren
VSA Death. Died four weeks after his 16th birthday.
Our Trustees
