Kaleidoscope

18/11/2025

Eric Blakebrough's funeral will take place on 12th December at 12:45pm at St Teilos, Tenby.

The family kindly ask that no flowers are sent. If you would like to honour Eric, Founder of Kaleidoscope, and his incredible dedication to the organisation, they invite you to make a donation to the Kaleidoscope charity instead.

You can donate using the link below.

Please share this post to help spread the word

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Eric Blakebrough sadly passed away on 4th November 2025. His funeral will take place on 12th December at 12:45 at St. Teilo's Catholic Church, Tenby. The family have asked that, in memory of Eric, donations be made to the Kaleidoscope charity.

17/11/2025

From 17-23 November, individuals, community groups and organisations will come together for Wales HIV Testing Week: a campaign to encourage people in Wales to get tested for HIV.

Getting tested is the only way to know if you have HIV, and, in Wales, it’s never been easier.

Anyone in Wales can order a free, confidential home test kit online: https://www.shwales.online/wales-sti-testing-kit-test-and-post/

Free test kits are also available at local pharmacies and other community venues: https://www.shwales.online/community-kits/

With treatment, people living with HIV can live as long and healthily as anyone else. Treatment also prevents you from passing the virus on to others. But you can’t get treated if you don’t test.



Public Health Wales

17/11/2025

We’re proud to announce that Kaleidoscope has been awarded the contract to deliver the PSALT Prescribing Service in partnership with Swansea Bay University Health Board.

We look forward to building strong community links and partnerships to provide a unique, person-centred service for the people of Swansea Bay.

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Rydym yn falch o gyhoeddi bod Kaleidoscope wedi sicrhau’r contract i ddarparu Gwasanaeth Presgripsiynu PSALT mewn partneriaeth â Bwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol Bae Abertawe.

Edrychwn ymlaen at feithrin partneriaethau a chysylltiadau cymunedol cryf er mwyn darparu gwasanaeth unigryw ac sy’n canolbwyntio ar yr unigolyn ar gyfer pobl Bae Abertawe.

14/11/2025

On Tuesday, our Health & Safety Estates Officer, Sian, visited Gavin and Laura at Powells Place in Newport, part of GDAS - Gwent Drug and Alcohol Service

Sian carried out a supportive audit with the team, reviewing how things are working on site. She looked at policies and procedures to provide insight into operational practice and overall performance.

This work is crucial because a safe, well-managed environment helps our teams deliver the best possible support, ensuring people who use our services feel welcomed, protected, and able to focus on their recovery.

While she was there, Sian also took the opportunity to have her flu jab, helping to keep herself, and the people we support, safe and well this winter.

12/11/2025

🌟📣 A groundbreaking milestone for harm reduction in Wales 🌟📣

We’re delighted to announce that the Home Office have granted Kaleidoscope a licence to test substances. 🙌

This marks the first licence of its kind in Wales, allowing us to deliver front of house drug checking. This is a pioneering step towards safer communities, informed choices and compassionate support.

This licence recognises the importance of meeting people where they are, reducing harm and building trust through connection and care.

A huge thank you to everyone who made this possible. Our dedicated teams, partners and the home office for having confidence in our approach.

Together, we’re shaping a safer, more supportive future for Wales and continuing Kaleidoscope’s pioneering and bold approach to harm reduction.

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12/11/2025

💬 “𝐈𝐟 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐨 𝐢𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧.”

Meet Curtis, one of the GDAS - Gwent Drug and Alcohol Service volunteers. Curtis shares his reasons for why he gives his time to help others:

“𝐼 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑒𝑟 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝐼 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑔𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑏𝑎𝑐𝑘. 𝐼 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑎𝑑𝑑𝑖𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑢𝑏𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟 25 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑜𝑛 𝑓𝑜𝑟 20. 𝐼 𝑢𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑜𝑝 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑦 𝑔𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡, 𝑟𝑢𝑔𝑏𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑙𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑠, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑠 𝑎 𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑓 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑. 𝐵𝑢𝑡 𝑑𝑟𝑢𝑔𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑡𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟.

𝑁𝑜𝑤, ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑔𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑚𝑒 𝑎 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑡ℎ. 𝐼 𝑟𝑢𝑛 𝑎 𝑆𝑀𝐴𝑅𝑇 𝑅𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑝 𝑜𝑛 𝑐𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑘 𝑐𝑜𝑐𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑒, 𝑐𝑜-𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑥𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑑𝑜 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝐼 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒, 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑢𝑏 𝑡𝑜 𝑔𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑎 𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑚 𝑠𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑒, 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑡𝑒𝑚𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑎𝑟𝑦 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑜𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛. 𝐼𝑡’𝑠 𝑎 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝑑, 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐼 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝐼 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑒𝑠. 𝑀𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑒𝑡 𝑢𝑝 𝑎 𝑔𝑦𝑚 𝑖𝑛 𝑃𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑦𝑝𝑜𝑜𝑙.

𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑝𝑠 𝑚𝑦 𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑡𝑜𝑜. 𝐼𝑡 𝑏𝑢𝑖𝑙𝑑𝑠 𝑚𝑦 𝑐𝑜𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑘𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑔𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑚𝑒 𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓-𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑡ℎ. 𝑇𝑎𝑙𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝐼 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑑 𝑚𝑦 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒, 𝐼 ℎ𝑜𝑝𝑒 𝐼 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑚𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑠. 𝐼𝑓 𝐼 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑑𝑜 𝑖𝑡, 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑛, 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑜.

We appreciate all of our volunteers who use their lived and living experience to make a difference every day. Thanks for sharing your story Curtis 👏

11/11/2025

🌟 Exciting News! 🌟

We’re delighted to announce that Kate McDougall, RNMH, has been appointed as our new Clinical Services and Governance Director.

Kate has been part of Kaleidoscope for more than 15 years, bringing a wealth of experience, a passion for the people who access our services, and a deep commitment to our values.

Throughout her time with us, she’s led a range of initiatives focused on improving our services and strengthening our approach to clinical governance.

In her new role, Kate will join our Executive Team, playing a key part in shaping the future of our services as we continue to grow and evolve.

Please join us in congratulating Kate on this well-deserved appointment, we’re thrilled to have her leadership guiding us into the next chapter! 👏

07/11/2025

We are pleased to welcome Mike Vigar as Kaleidoscope’s new 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫.

Mike brings extensive experience in the criminal justice system, having most recently led rehabilitation services in the prison sector. With a strong background in the drug and alcohol field, his expertise and leadership will make a valuable contribution to our work.

Over the coming months, Mike will be visiting our sites and meeting colleagues across the organisation to get to know our teams and experience our services first-hand.

Welcome to the team, Mike! 👏

05/11/2025

𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡
𝐹𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑅𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝑀𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑟𝑜, 𝐶𝐸𝑂 𝑜𝑓 𝐾𝑎𝑙𝑒𝑖𝑑𝑜𝑠𝑐𝑜𝑝𝑒

It is with great sadness that we share the passing of Reverend Eric Blakebrough MBE, the Founder of The Kaleidoscope Project. Eric leaves behind a legacy of compassion, leadership, and unwavering dedication to those most in need.

From the outset, Kaleidoscope’s focus was very much on harm reduction. Under Eric’s leadership, the organisation pioneered needle and syringe exchange programmes and the use of substitute medication - approaches that were bold, progressive, and deeply rooted in care. These early interventions laid the foundation for a model of support that prioritised dignity, safety, and humanity.

Eric devoted his life to serving others, through his ministry and his pioneering work in drug and alcohol support. Under his guidance, Kaleidoscope grew into a beacon of hope for individuals and families across England and Wales, offering practical help and compassionate care to those facing challenges with drug and alcohol use, and mental health. Under Eric's tenure, Kaleidoscope developed supportive partnerships and innovative projects across the world, including supporting the set up of harm reduction services in Nepal and Pakistan.

Working along with his wife Mary, who sadly passed in 2022, Eric’s empathy and tireless advocacy shaped a vision of recovery grounded in respect and inclusion. Eric’s influence extended far beyond the organisation he founded; he helped shape policies and services that continue to change lives to this day. His work was not only impactful, it was personal, driven by a steadfast belief in the worth and potential of every individual.

Beyond his professional achievements, Eric will be remembered for his warmth, humility, and unwavering faith. He touched the lives of all who knew him; people who used our services, colleagues, and communities alike.

We are profoundly grateful for Eric’s service and forever inspired by his example. His spirit lives on in the lives he changed and in the organisation that he helped to build. His legacy is one of hope, compassion, and enduring humanity.

On behalf of our staff, the people who use our services, and our friends who knew Eric, we extend our sincere condolences to his inspiring children, Martin, Adele and Justin. They have both supported and led our organisation over the years, ensuring that the values Eric instilled live on to this day.

04/11/2025

🎬 Who We Are: A Reflection on Kaleidoscope.

We’re proud to share this short film created by Daniel J. Harris from FOCUS SHIFT FILMS, offering a powerful insight into Kaleidoscope and the work we do.

Hear from our CEO Rondine Molinaro, Co Production Lead Elwyn Thomas and Peers, as they speak about what Kaleidoscope means to them, from harm reduction and recovery to community and care.

💬 Real voices.
💛 Real stories.
🌍 Real impact.

Watch now: https://youtu.be/okdTNnli_LI

This short film, created by Daniel Harris from Focus Films, offers a heartfelt reflection on Kaleidoscope and the work we do. You’ll hear from our CEO, colle...

04/11/2025

Welcome to our new Choices Rehabs member: Kaleidoscope – Drug and Alcohol Services.

Every year, Kaleidoscope supports over 10,000 people through practical, proven solutions to challenges around drug and alcohol use.

Kaleidoscope combines harm reduction, detox, housing support, and peer-led programmes to empower people to reduce harm, pursue recovery, and rebuild their lives.

Their work delivers cost-effective, compassionate impact, one person at a time.

We’re proud to welcome Kaleidoscope68 to the Choices Rehabs network, strengthening our shared mission to improve access to effective treatment and support across the UK.

choicesrehabs.com
The Bridge to Effective Treatment