A run that remembers: fundraising for better support

Naomi’s decision to run the Sheffield Half Marathon comes from a place of grief, determination and a belief that things can and should be different for people facing multiple challenges in their lives. Her friend Craig’s* experience showed her how quickly someone can become overwhelmed when health problems, substance use, housing instability and social isolation collide without the right support around them.

Naomi remembers Craig as “larger than life, funny, and loud,” someone who adored his young family and lived generously and energetically. But gradually, things changed. She writes that “he gradually stopped doing all the things he loved, lost a lot of weight, collapsed on holiday, and a couple of months later ended up in hospital after having a seizure.” Only later did it become clear that Craig had been privately struggling with harmful levels of alcohol use and the physical consequences of suddenly reducing it.

Despite repeated hospital admissions, “he was not diagnosed with an Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), and not referred to an alcohol treatment centre.” Instead, he was left trying to manage complicated and dangerous symptoms alone. Naomi describes the impossibility of this when “someone with an active addiction, at risk of death, who had no support network, was expected to just sort himself out.” Without coordinated help, Craig became increasingly unwell and lost his home, eventually “living alone in a dismal council bedsit.” Naomi writes starkly that “less than two years after the first seizure, Craig was found dead in the bedsit.”

What happened to Craig reflects a wider reality: people rarely experience just one problem at a time. Poor health, substance use, housing issues and emotional distress often interact, making it harder for someone to find stable ground. When services operate separately or stigma blocks people from asking for help, it becomes even harder to step into recovery.

This is why Naomi chose to support Framework. We work across Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire and Sheffield to help people facing homelessness, poor mental or physical health and harmful substance use, offering safe accommodation, health support and practical help to rebuild stability and independence. Our services include specialist support for people whose alcohol use is affecting their wellbeing, and clinical provision such as The Level, where people can receive structured, medically supported stabilisation or detox when their withdrawal needs to be managed safely.

Her fundraising also helps Nottingham Recovery Network, one of our key partnerships. NRN offers free, confidential support for people who want to reduce or change their use of alcohol or other substances, with walk‑in assessments, ongoing therapeutic support, group work, and pathways to clinically managed detox if needed. NRN also helps people address related issues such as mental health and housing, recognising that recovery is easier when the whole picture is understood and supported.

Naomi hopes that by sharing Craig’s story, she can help shift perceptions, challenge stigma and highlight the importance of making support easier to reach. Her run is a call for a more compassionate, joined‑up approach. One where no one is left to face complicated health and social issues alone.

Donations to Naomi’s fundraising page will help this work continue: https://frameworkha.enthuse.com/pf/naomi-jones

Or sign up to fundraise for Framework yourself here: https://www.frameworkha.org/support-us/fundraising/

If you or someone you know needs support:

Get Help from Framework

Visit: https://www.frameworkha.org/get-help/
We can offer housing, health, substance use support, mental health services and more.

Nottingham Recovery Network

Free, confidential alcohol and drug support for Nottingham City residents.

0800 066 5362
https://www.nottinghamrecoverynetwork.com/
Drop‑in assessments available – no appointment needed.

*Craig’s name has been changed for safeguarding and privacy.