Daniel Spargo-Mabbs: Drugs forum launched to mark overdose death

The teenager's parents set up the Daniel Spargo-Mabbs Foundation in the wake of his death

A drugs education forum is being launched to mark the 10th anniversary of the death of a boy who overdosed on MDMA.

Daniel Spargo-Mabbs's mother Fiona has campaigned for better education since the 16-year-old's death in 2014.

The Drug Education Forum aims to increase understanding of the effects and risks of drugs and alcohol.

Mrs Spargo-Mabbs, from Croydon, said: "It's something that we wanted to do for long time."

She added: "Drug education is my passion, to prevent what happened to Dan happening to anyone else.

"The forum is about strengthening drug education; when it's done badly can cause harm."

The foundation has a group of ambassadors

Mrs Spargo-Mabbs and her husband Tim founded the Daniel Spargo-Mabbs Foundation in the wake of his death, which has come together with other drugs educators for the forum, to host talks and events.

• Teen died after 'bad drugs decision'

It is believed Daniel took about half a gram of MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, in a bottle of water.

He suffered a massive heart attack and multiple organ failure at a rave in Hayes, west London, dying three days later on 20 January 2014.

Hope Elsdon, who was friends with Daniel, is one of the foundation's ambassadors

Remembering Daniel on the anniversary of his death, Mrs Spargo-Mabbs told BBC London's Salma El-Wardany: "That just didn't need to happen, Dan didn't need to die and there are so many things that could have been different, and that can be different for other young people.

"Dan's death drives me on every single day. We can't do anything for Dan. But anything we can possibly do for others, we will.

"Ten years on, it's still horrible. We had a little service with our community and there was a focus on gratitude and hope.

"We held that grief and loss in a space of love and celebration and joy for what we've done. At the heart of it always is the loss of Dan, which motivates us."

Over the past 10 years, Class A drug use has been rising among over 16s but MDMA usage has fallen slightly, according to the Office for National Statistics.

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