We had a very busy and very rewarding day sharing ‘One last Spin’ at two venues.
In the morning we were at the Albany, home of GCVS, as part of a day’s training for Simon Community Workers.
With the Simon Community at the Albany
Then a quick dash to sunny Inverkip Hub.
There was a great turnout for the film and brilliant discussion afterwards. Many thanks to staff at the Hub for amazing assistance at their state of the art screening facility.
Panel members at Inverkip ( left to right), Ronnie Cowan, Member of Parliament for Inverclyde; Georgina Charlton, Scotland Reducing Gambling Harm at the Alliance for Health and Social Care; Martin Paterson, Director of The Machine Zone Community Interest Company, Executive Producer of the film and film participant.
It was great to have Tony Franklin with us. Tony is a participant in the film and another Director of The Machine Zone.
We’ve had a busy week showing the film with three great organisations.
We began at a conference about homelessness and gambling with the Simon Community where we met with people from a wide range of sectors, really bringing home to us the number of areas which gambling harms touch upon.
Then to the Women’s Centre Glasgowwhere again we made some brilliant contacts. We were joined by Kelly Field who’s a key contributor to the film, and who spoke so well about women’s experiences of gambling harms.
Kelly joined us too the next night at Greater Govanhill CICwhere the film was followed by a great discussion. Do check out their website – they are an amazing community organisation.
Kelly Field at the Women’s Centre Glasgow event about gambling and the cost of living
Showing the film at Greater Govanhill Community Interest Company’s newsroom.
Currently we are involved with sharing the film in Glasgow City as part of a project to address gambling harms there. Many thanks to partners who’ve invited us to share. If you’re in Glasgow and would like to screen the film at an event drop us a line at hello@glasgowcitygamblingharms.org
Left to right: Steve Watts, Founder of GamFam; Tony Kelly, Founder of Red Card; Martin Paterson, Director of The Machine Zone and Executive Producer of One Last Spin; Ronnie Cowan MP Inverclyde and Vice-Chair All Party Parliamentary Group on Gambling Harms
GREAT DAY AT THE SGEN CONFERENCE, EDINBURGH, 24 NOVEMBER
We enjoyed a great day at the National Storytelling Centre where we were given the opportunity to screen and discuss One Last Spin.
The event was our first ‘live’ one with SGEN. (Check out their new website).
We met so many people doing amazing things, all different but all sharing in a passion to reduce gambling harms. Wonderful to meet folk we’d only known from flat screens, and to meet many new people.
For Adrian, an ardent Liverpool FC fan, there was closure, acceptance and forgiveness in meeting Tony, an ex-pro footballer who once scored a goal at Anfield while playing for Burnley!
Check out the amazing work Steve and his team are doing at GamFam, and Tony at Red Card. Ronnie is unceasing in his work towards clamping down on industry practices and poor regulation which he highlighted powerfully in his keynote address. Martin continues as ever with his energetic focus on reducing gambling harms.
We’re delighted to see the launch today of a music video to accompany Amanda’s beautiful song.
This has been created and produced by Mitch, the guy behind the many amazing videos at COPE Scotland’s website.
COPE has been at the forefront of providing support and advice around mental health and wellbeing in Scotland for decades. They have included attention to distress arising from gambling harms. Amanda wrote and recorded One Last Spin after becoming aware of the extent of the issue and deciding to make her own contribution to raising awareness. The story of the making of the song, how it arose from others’ ideas and work, is a great example of creative confluence – how different streams flow into one river.
Most sectors that address people’s wellbeing need to be more aware that gambling can be a significant cause of harm for many thousands of people.
The documentary One Last Spin includes the voices of people harmed by gambling, and contributions from an academic, an MP and the previous manager of Scotland Reducing Gambling Harm
Severe harms from gambling may result in addiction, one often called ‘the hidden addiction’ both because it is not easy to spot but also because generally, many support services are not fully aware of its prevalence and impact.
The film will be screened in a variety of settings for different audiences such as this one, but in this post we offer the use of the film for awareness raising and as a resource in training and development for the different sectors of social service provision and other work including:
Health and Social Care
Justice system (including prisons, courts, police)
Education
Media staff
Workplace wellbeing
Mental health and addiction services (where these are taken as outside general health and social care)
Social work
Finance and debt support
Child and young adult welfare
Sport
Specific industries (such as music where risks are high)
Local and national politics
Local geographically based community groups
Religious affiliations
Disadvantaged communities (where risks are much higher)
Organisations working with specific group identities such as refugees
The list above is indicative and we are precisely aware of the dangers of ‘naming’ a group as a sector or community or an identity as a monolithic ‘block’. Work in different sectors includes work across other sectors.
Using the Film
The film is free of charge and can be used for any specified event or session. In the first instance, interested parties may like to preview the film by requesting a link to it via info@gamblingwatchscotland.org.uk
Thereafter, organisations may wish to use it as a resource in their delivery of awareness raising, training and development.
If required and where possible we may be able to provide a participant from the film to accompany screenings.
Have a look around this website to learn more about the film.
Please Share!
The film has received very positive feedback and we believe its strong impact serves well to raise the human dimension of gambling harm and the wider contexts of gambling in society.
We want as many people as possible to see the film, and would be grateful if you could share this post with colleagues and through your networks.
We had a great online screening event with GamLEARN members in July. A great pleasure to meet such a friendly a vibrant group centred upon sharing and supporting lived experience.
The evening began with an introduction by GamLEARN’s Col Bland, and then the film was introduced by participant and Executive Producer Martin Paterson, followed by the film’s Director, Ross Donald. You can see Martin’s and Ross’s introductions here.
The screening was spoilt a bit by technical glitches but shone through these to meet with great audience responses. (And we think – and certainly hope- that the problems won’t occur again!)
Here are some comments from the audience in discussion after the meeting:
Thank you to all involved in producing this very impactive film. Having gambled since 9 years old in the 80’s on fruit machines in arcades, through the 90’s and 00’s with FOBT and then still gambled during the online era, something like this would certainly have been of use during these periods and I can’t say it would have stopped me as nobody can know that but I’m positive it will impact others enough to seek out support and save lives.
I found it helpful hearing stories from affected others . A very powerful film.
The film presents some really important messages. The different individual slots piece together really well and communicate a difficult and complex issue well.
It is a brilliant film..full of tremendously clear and moving insights.
I’m a Mental Health Advocate within the Civil Service and will try to push this film there too. Initially for other advocates but with a hope for wider use.
Thanks so much to all involved in making this powerful film.
Our Thanks
We are very grateful to GamLEARN for arranging this screening. It’s the sort of event we’d love to repeat and repeat with other groups and organisations.
As One Last Spin continues to pick up awards and great reviews, here’s another from Think Shorts.
A poignant documentary that delves into the world of gambling
Directed by Ross Donald, ‘One Last Spin’ is a short documentary film that delves into the addictive world of gambling. The film takes a harrowing look at the personal stories of former addicts, constructed with a series of interviews and dramatization of their struggles. A poignant watch that doesn’t shy away from revealing the perilous consequences of wagering a bet.
Throughout the entire 30-minute film, we are introduced to several survivors of the addiction, who bravely open up about the devastating consequences it had on their life and those around them. We learn about the effects it had on their mental health, financial security, relationships, career and physical health. The film takes a sombre turn as we learn about a young man’s suicide, amidst the grapple with gambling addiction. Besides the personal stories, the documentary introduces us to dominant members of society who are actively involved in the fight against gambling.
Ross Donald has put together a deeply moving film that will startle the audience from the offset. High praise to the recovering addicts who have turned their lives around, and are now open to sharing their plight in an effort to reduce shame and stigma. Visually, the film is professionally shot with outstanding cinematography (Leon Brehony & Jamie Brown). Sound, music and post-production are equally commendable. A captivating watch. Highly recommended
Following the screening of the film at the Alliance’s Annual Conference last week, Hannah Gunn who organised the event with colleague Georgina Charlton has published some of the feedback so far.
We repeat our great gratitude to the work of Scotland Reducing Gambling Harm. The feedback about the film we have received in recent months does strongly suggest its great impact and potential for raising awareness about gambling harms.
If you haven’t seen the film yet and would like to, and if you’d like to use it in your own work please do get in touch. Martin whose idea the film was, who is a main contributor to the film and Executive Producer, and who worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to see its completion is at martinpaterson07@gmail.com.
Also crucial to the film through his great skill and determination has been its director Ross Donald who gave his time for free; Ross would be happy to answer any questions relating to the production, ross@reveriefilms.co.uk.
For general enquiries and further information contact adrian@gamblingwatchscotland.org.uk.
Any of these contacts can provide a link to the film.
In particular, big thanks to Georgina and Hannah who not only arranged the event but who have administered so well the Alliance’s ongoing support of the film.
Martin, who appears in the film and is Executive Producer, and Ross, the film’s director, said at the event that without the Alliance’s support the film we would never have been made.
Will Griffiths was the first lead on the Scotland Reducing Gambling Harms programme, and although he’s moved to pastures new we’ll never forget the big contribution he also made (which includes appearing in the film).
Today’s event was very well attended by folk from a variety of backgrounds, and their feedback has been very positive. We thank everyone for their comments and suggestions of how the film can reach more people. We’ll post some comments in the next post. Here’s just one:
Highly recommend anyone and everyone watches the @onelastspinfilm film. It’s not an easy watch but I believe it is a hugely necessary one, not just for those affected by gambling harm but also those who think they aren’t or won’t be. Incredibly powerful.
– Col Bland
Thank you all!
If you missed today’s event or you’d like to see the film again do get in touch! You may want to share with colleagues, consider how you could use it in your own work, maybe work with us to design community screenings and conversations. There are some suggestions about how the film could be used and our contact details HERE.
On a personal note, I am extremely grateful to everyone who participated in the making of this film. It took over two years to make because of the pandemic and if it wasn’t for the patience and perseverance of those involved, this film would have never gotten made. I also want to thank the cast and crew for giving their time and talents to this, it was a joy to work with each of you! But the biggest acknowledgement and appreciation goes to the brave participants who provided their stories for this film, we all thank you
An unflinching look at gambling addiction through the eyes of recovering addicts. One Last Spin explores the environments that condition people to gamble and the devastating effects it has on their lives and communities.
If you’d like to preview this powerful half hour film with a view to using it in your own work, organisation or community please drop us a line at info@gamblingwatchscotland.org.uk
One Last Spin 