BIOGRAPHY
Angela Harrison

Born in Blackpool in 1944, the eldest of three children, Angela spent her early childhood in north London. The family moved to Birmingham, where she attended grammar school, and gained seven GCE’s. She qualified at the Birmingham College of Commerce, as a secretary.

In 1971, at the age of twenty-two, Angela married. They adopted their son and, two years later, adopted six-week-old Jamie. The family moved from their Cambridgeshire home, to live in a Warwickshire village near Stratford-upon-Avon.

Angela suffered kidney failure at the age of thirty five. This was followed by seven years on haemodialysis and, happily, a successful transplant. Her hopes of a new life and freedom were dashed when Jamie was drawn into the world of drugs and prostitution. The court granted Angela custody of her sixteen-month-old grandson. She had recently been divorced.

Following national media coverage of ‘Crackhead’, grandparents across Britain sought help. As a result, Angela started the help line ‘Grandparent & Grandchild Drug Support’.

Angela has moved to the West Country with her grandson Max, in search of a quieter life. However, the story takes an unexpected twist.

Government Award Winner 2000
‘Building a Learning Community’