Thank You, Nathan: Reflecting on Nine Years of Leadership
Nathan Marsh’s contribution to Essex Recovery Foundation over the past nine years has been immense. As Chair, he has played a central role in helping shape the organisation, championing recovery across Essex and supporting the growth of a strong and compassionate community dedicated to helping people rebuild their lives. After nearly a decade of leadership, commitment and advocacy, Nathan has made the decision to step down from his role as Chair. While this marks the end of an important chapter for the Foundation, we are incredibly grateful for everything he has contributed during his time with us.
Laurence Hickmott, Ben Hughes and Nathan Marsh representing Essex Recovery Foundation at the Houses of Parliament
Laurence Hickmott, Chief Executive of Essex Recovery Foundation, shares:
“On behalf of everybody at Essex Recovery Foundation, I want to express my deepest gratitude to Nathan for the extraordinary contribution he has made to ERF over the past nine years.
Nathan has been far more than a Chair of Trustees. He has been a passionate advocate for people in recovery, a fearless voice for change and somebody who has consistently challenged systems, stigma and perceptions surrounding addiction and mental health. His belief in the value, talent and potential of people with lived experience has helped shape ERF into the organisation it is today.
Personally, I want to thank Nathan for the support, trust and encouragement he has given me over the past four and a half years as CEO. Leading a charity like ERF comes with huge responsibility, and having a Chair who genuinely believes in both the mission and the people delivering it makes an enormous difference. Nathan has supported me through periods of growth, challenge and transformation, always with honesty, passion and a deep commitment to doing what is right for our community.
Nathan’s leadership has helped create a culture where lived experience is not only valued but placed at the heart of decision-making. His commitment to ensuring that recovery communities have a genuine voice in shaping services has left a lasting impact, not only within ERF but across Essex as a whole.
While we are incredibly sad to see Nathan step down as Chair, we fully respect his decision and know that his legacy within ERF will continue for many years to come. We thank him for everything he has given to the charity, to the recovery community and to all of us personally.
From all of us at ERF, thank you, Nathan”
Below, Nathan shares some personal reflections on his journey with Essex Recovery Foundation:
“It is a clear, crisp spring day, I am currently sitting here in my office on the morning after my birthday and the day after my last day as Chair of The Essex Recovery Foundation. I’m feeling rather reflective. I have spent 9 years with Essex Recovery Foundation. The question that might hang over that fact is “why?”
Coming into recovery was an extraordinary experience for me. A catastrophically dramatic near death end to 20 years of a confused avatar parading around as me. Full of confusion, uncertainty and pain. If I’m honest it was that moment that defined me going forward. The darkness of those final years of addiction are uncomfortable to recall. The shame associated with my behaviour took years to process. The self loathing just as long. It was never just about not taking drugs and drinking alcohol for me, it was a journey to find out who I really am. But I learned wonderfully early that I was not alone. That there were in fact thousands, ney millions, of people just like me. I wasn’t special. And where previously that thought would have upset or scared me it was now a bloody relief.
When I announced I was stepping down as Chair I did so for a number of reasons. The main one was to make room for a new person with new ideas and to inject fresh blood into the charity. That is in keeping with the spirit of the thing itself. But also I feel as if I’ve said what I wanted to say for now. So then Nathan, what IS it you wanted to say?……
I wanted to say that addiction is a mental health disorder that to this very day is treated as the black sheep of the family. As if our mental health disorder carries some form of moral choice. “Ah yes” they say, “You may be an addict but you chose to pick up the drug and behave in this awful way”. Well, partly true but we didn’t choose to be subjected to the various traumas that our addictions were trying to bury did we?
I wanted to say that the phrase “Dual Diagnosis” is a crock and should be scratched from use. It implies that we can somehow compartmentalise our mental health. That somehow BPD could exist separately from addiction for example. Nonsense. It would be better to use the term “diagnosis”. Much easier. We can then go about treating people as they are….one person.
I wanted to say that the best people to decide what drug and alcohol services get commissioned In Essex are the people that use the services. That an actual democratic system that allows for the voice of the people to be heard is the RIGHT thing to do. And that those very same people should help shape & design those very same services
I wanted to say that being an addict doesn’t make you second best, it doesn’t mean you’re LESS than anybody else. And that if we reach out into the community we will discover a pool of talent, intelligence and creativity that can change the county of Essex in profound ways.
But above all that I wanted to say thank you. I crash landed in Essex with a career in finance in tatters, with a life that was soon to end and I met people that caught me, held me and lifted me up. And so if anyone missed it, the last 9 years have been a thank you. It’s not enough I know but I gave that thank you everything I had.”
As we thank Nathan for his years of dedication and leadership, we are also looking ahead to the future of Essex Recovery Foundation.
We are now recruiting for a new Chair, alongside several new trustee positions, to help guide and support the next stage of the organisation’s development. These are exciting opportunities to make a meaningful difference within the recovery community in Essex.
Anyone interested in finding out more can download our recruitment pack for full details on the roles and how to apply.