Ask the Expert

Martin Preston

Founder at Delamere Health Ltd, the UK's only purpose-built addiction treatment clinic, Martin has been helping people grow beyond addiction for over a decade. As someone with lived and professional experience in the field of addiction and mental health, Martin is passionate about stamping out stigma and making recovery accessible.

What are the symptoms of addiction?

Addiction is quite simply the repetition of a behaviour, despite negative consequences. In struggling with alcohol or prescription medication, some people become physically dependent and require clinical detox to stop safely and prevent withdrawal symptoms. With 'process addiction' or behavioural addiction (e.g. gambling, sex, internet), the psychological aspects can be just as devastating. Addiction affects all manner of people and the way in which it does can vary. For anyone who's questioning their relationship with alcohol, substances or behaviour, if it is costing you more than money and you're unable to set limits, it's time to reach out for professional help.

How do I help someone who’s struggling with addiction?

Denial is often symptomatic of addiction and as such, friends, family and colleagues tend to realise that addiction has become an issue long before the person who themselves is struggling does. Rather than pointing the finger, try outlining how their behaviour is affecting or concerning you.

How is addiction treated?

At Delamere, we take a holistic approach which means we look at the whole person and work with them to arrive at a care plan that suits their individual needs. Many guests who stay with us need a detox initially and this is provided by our medical

Mr Lavagna-Slater

Mr Lavagna-Slater joined Wilmslow Preparatory School (WPS) in 2020. He has over 25 years of invaluable experience in the field of education. A true leader and visionary, he believes in embracing a strong ethos of hard work, resilience and effort whilst nurturing every individual child to ful fil their potential.

How do you broaden the children’s horizons?

Development of the whole child is really important to us, something we achieve through our unique academic programme, the WPS Pathway, which results in the best possible outcome for our pupils. We also firmly embrace the view that there are multiple approaches to widen a child’s outlook beyond academic learning. The sports, art, music and extracurricular activities on offer at WPS are a testament to this, providing avenues for excellence in creativity, teamwork and personal growth.

How do you structure the pupils progress?

At WPS, we offer tailored excellence. With small class sizes, we have the flexibility to accommodate teaching according to need, including working in small groups or 1:1 when required. This means that through our robust continuous system for monitoring progress, we can ensure that every pupil is nurtured as an individual and inspired to achieve their very best, both inside and outside the classroom. Thus, pupils leave WPS fully prepared for the next, vital stage of their education.

team. Once the addictive fog has started to lift, our programmes help guests identify what has been underpinning the addictive behaviour and how to acquire a set a tools to help them stay well, long term. Most guests stay 4-6 weeks and return for weekly aftercare for 12 months. Addiction can be treated and recovery is possible.

Which schools do pupils progress to?

We are really proud of our Prep 6 pupils, who impress us each year with their excellent senior school exam results. These are a testament to the hard work, dedication and commitment demonstrated by our pupils, and a firm reminder that hard work pays off! They result in places being offered by secondary schools such as The Kings School Macclesfield, The Manchester Grammar School, Withington and Manchester High Girls schools, Stockport, and Cheadle Hulme, as well as the Trafford grammar schools.