Priti Patel MP with Graham, Al-Anon’s Local Public Information Officer and his colleague, Linda, who is their General Office Manager.
Priti meets Al-Anon Family Groups team to help tackle alcoholism in the community
Priti Patel, the MP for Witham, has met local representatives of Al-Anon Family Groups, the organisation dedicated to supporting family and friends of problem drinkers in the community. Priti had a meeting with Al-Anon’s Local Public Information Volunteer, Graham and the General Office Manager Linda, in the Witham Hub’s meeting room on Saturday (5th February 2022) to talk about how she can help raise awareness of their organisation’s work, bearing in mind Al-Anon’s commitment to the anonymity of individuals, which is one of its key principles, protecting not only its members but the problem drinker as well.
Al-Anon Family Groups is dedicated to supporting those affected by someone else’s drinking, in Witham and Braintree. With national statistics suggesting that 37% of all domestic violence cases are linked with alcohol, their organisation is very much needed.
Speaking after the meeting, Priti said: “It was very useful to meet up with Al-Anon and hear about what they are doing in Witham to support the many families and individuals affected by alcoholism. I am very happy to work with them in the future to raise awareness of their organisation. There is still a great deal of work to be done in helping people with issues relating to alcohol find the support they need.”
Graham Al-Anon’s local Public Information Officer said: “We were very pleased to have the opportunity to meet up with Priti and we had a very productive discussion about alcoholism and our experiences in helping people to deal with it. Priti’s help with promoting our organisation in the future, is very much appreciated and we look forward to working with her”.