Lived experience · South West

Real stories.Real impact.Real change.

Using lived experience to educate, prevent and support communities affected by gambling harm.

Macauley South looking out over the water, wearing a The Prevention Project shirt

Prevention. Education. Recovery.

We deliver honest, relatable gambling harm education that starts conversations, builds understanding, and makes it easier to ask for help.

Educate

Lived-experience sessions young people and adults actually engage with — not another lecture.

Prevent

Helping people understand gambling, recognise risk and spot progression before harm escalates.

Support

One-to-one lived-experience recovery for people affected by gambling harm, without judgement.

Community

Working with education, sport and organisations to make gambling harm part of the conversation.

About

Gambling harm conversations need to start earlier.

Prevention doesn’t start at rock bottom. It starts much earlier.

The Prevention Project is a lived-experience-led gambling harm organisation. We work across education, sport and organisations to make gambling harm easier to understand, easier to talk about and easier to seek support for.

We don’t want gambling harm education to feel like another lecture, and we don’t believe meaningful prevention comes from simply telling people what they should or shouldn’t do.

We want people to understand gambling, recognise how harm can develop, and feel able to talk about it before things reach crisis point.

Born from a gap we couldn’t ignore.

Founded in the South West after Macauley South began looking more closely at the gambling harm education, prevention and support around him. Having experienced addiction himself, he knew what it was like to recognise that something was wrong while still young — but not fully understand what was happening, or where it could lead.

One question became increasingly difficult to ignore: what might have happened if the right conversation had taken place earlier?

More conversations before somebody reached crisis.
More gambling harm education for young people.
More lived experience in the room.
More understanding within education, sport and organisations.
Clearer routes towards support when somebody recognised something in themselves.

Born in the South West. Built to make a difference here — and beyond.

What we do

Prevention. Education. Recovery. Consultancy.

Prevention

Helping people understand gambling, recognise risk and identify progression before harm escalates.

Education

Lived-experience-led sessions designed to create conversations that young people and adults actually engage with.

Recovery

One-to-one lived-experience support for people affected by gambling harm — a non-judgemental space to talk and work towards what comes next.

Consultancy

Helping education, sport and organisations better understand gambling harm and strengthen prevention, safeguarding and support.

Who we work with

Starting conversations where they matter.

We adapt what we do to the age, setting and needs of the people in front of us rather than delivering the same presentation to every audience. Earlier understanding. Better conversations. Clearer routes to support.

Schools & sixth forms

Gambling harm education from Year 10 onwards. Questions, discussion, honesty — and a private route to help if something lands.

Colleges & universities

Relevant conversations at a time of greater independence. Students treated like adults, not told what choices to make.

Training providers

Flexible sessions for apprentices and learners entering the working world, plus staff who may need to spot harm.

Sport

For many young people, first exposure to gambling isn’t a betting shop. It’s sport. Honest conversations with clubs, academies and athletes.

Organisations

Staff development, awareness and consultancy around existing safeguarding — starting from what you already do.

People who need support

If you are already struggling, you don’t have to wait until you’ve lost everything to ask for help.

See how we work with each setting

Macauley’s story

I know where gambling can take you. I also know you can come back.

There is a difference between knowing about gambling harm and having lived through it. Our founder has experienced the excitement of gambling while young, the belief that everything was under control, the progression into addiction — and recovery. Rebuilding relationships. Becoming debt-free. Finding purpose.

We don’t use lived experience simply to show people how bad gambling can become. We use it to help people understand how it gets there — and to show that things can change.

Read Macauley’s story

What people say

Conversations that land.

“Macauley gave a hugely impactful talk on gambling and gambling harms to our year 2 and 3 students. He was incredibly engaging and his honest, personal testimony was insightful.”

“Throughout the training, Macauley was engaging, knowledgeable, and genuinely inspiring. He created an inclusive and supportive learning environment. His enthusiasm had a noticeable impact on the confidence of those taking part.”

“Macauley was instantly engaging with the learners, and they hung on his every word. His style is personal, warts-and-all, and honest. I genuinely believe the experience will leave them less likely to be sucked into the trap that gambling can become.”

“Macauley delivered a highly gripping and insightful session for my Level 1 plumbing group, using honest real-life experiences to effectively highlight the risks and dangers of gambling. Thank you for an impactful session.”

“Thank you so much Macauley! An incredible talk with powerful depth. The fact that gambling addiction is so incredibly damaging is so clear. The time you spent with our cohort and with us was really valuable.”

Follow the project as it grows.

28 September 2026

Crowdfunding launch

The Prevention Project CIC has officially launched a £15,000 Crowdfunder to fund a full year of free gambling-harm prevention across Plymouth.

Read about the campaign

All news

The experience is personal. The purpose is prevention.

Whether you’re a school, a sports club, an organisation, or someone who needs to talk — start with a conversation.

Book a conversation