CALUM BEST has called for more government support in helping the children of alcoholic parents.
Speaking to Camilla Tominey on GB News the son of football legend George Best said: “There are 2.6 million children out there struggling with parental drinking at home.
“From lockdown, they saw an increase in troubles at home and an increase in all sorts of badness, and they’re struggling with it.”
Calum, an ambassador with the National Association for Children of Addiction (NACoA) issued a plea to Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, who previously delivered a grant to the charity.
He said: “I speak on behalf of NACOA, one of the leading charities in the UK, and I think I would love to use this platform to reach out to Jeremy Hunt, very politely and respectfully just to say I would love to meet you, I would love to work together to provide help for these children again. the funds were in place and then they were taken away and there’s no reason they can’t come back around.
“We can provide funding to help these children know that they’re not alone. 2.6 million kids are out there knowing that they have nowhere to turn to, they don’t even know NACOA exists. They don’t even know there are people like ourselves.
“I feel that if I can get together with Jeremy Hunt, we can provide funding to make sure these kids live a happier and healthier life.”
Discussing his own issues with alcohol, Best explained: “I have a very colourful past without a doubt, but I’m very grateful to NACOA and the people that work with NACOA and support.
“It’s a place that provides answers, provides help, provides healing, you don’t feel isolated, you know that there’s a place you can turn to and speak to and they’re just a miscellaneous hotline where children can call in.
“If you think there’s 30,000 kids that call them a day. Imagine there’s 2.6 million out there that don’t know where to call.”
He added: “We figure out the highs and lows of life. We build resilience. We learn all these ways to deal with parental drinking.
“But now, the best thing we can do – as we should do – is provide answers and help for the next generation and I have this platform. I’m very blessed to be my dad’s son. I love every bit of it.
“But now’s the time for me to make a difference and I would love to ask Jeremy Hunt to meet me to help provide funding to support other children.”
