Join GLEN's membership to stay informed of our activities and opportunities
Join GLEN's membership to stay informed of our activities and opportunities.
The Gambling Lived Experience Network is “An independent voice raising awareness and support to people with gambling related harms”.
“Through honesty and integrity we bring hope without judgement”
Our Ambition
Our ambition is for the network to be able to make a real difference to people’s lives, with a voice that can meaningfully participate and influence national debate and policy making across the gambling sector.
“GLEN is our opportunity to drive the agenda, to make lived experience at the forefront of development and implementation of the reduction of gambling harms on society”
Our Purpose
Respondents from our peer-led survey indicated they wanted a network to - Support people with lived experience of gambling harms, prevent people from experiencing gambling harms and influence change to the gambling sector.
This led to the development of our purpose:
“An independent voice raising awareness and delivering support for people with gambling related harms.”
Our Values
Honesty
We feel it is critical that as individuals in recovery we are honest with ourselves and others, and that the network should be communicating with trust with others that have experienced harms.
Integrity
With honesty comes integrity; the organisation will do what it says it will where it is the right thing to be done.
Hope
The charity will provide hope and inspiration for those experiencing gambling harms. The network can draw inspiration from people who have been there and are now leading a better life. It is perhaps only people with lived experience who can provide this.
Without judgment
As a network of people with lived experience, we have all been in that chair, we have all been that person. It is not important what you have done, what’s important is what you can do now.
Our Achievements
Since our inception in 2021 GLEN has been working hard to build the Network which our members asked for. We have:
- Developed a diverse ‘Network Development Panel’ ALL with lived experience of gambling harm to help design and deliver the network
- Researched what the Lived Experience community wants from an independent network developed with, for and by those with lived experience of gambling harms
- Established and agreed Strategy, Purpose, Goals and Values which put Lived Experience at the heart of everything we do
- Successfully registered as a CIO (Charitable Incorporated Organisation) - Charity Number 1200347
- Held regular open meetings to update network members and interested parties on our progress and developments
- Collaborated with diverse organisations and research partners to add the insights of lived experience to a growing Evidence base
- Submitted member led responses to vital sector consultations, including those for the Gambling Act White Paper
- Presented at many conferences, including 3 successive GambleAware Annual Conferences, and Glasgow City Council's Gambling Summit
- Provided panelists at many events, conferences, and media interviews where harmful gambling and legacy harms have featured
- Created channels on social media platforms to allow our members' voices and opinions to be heard
- Looked to make Lived Experience more accessible and change the narrative around what Lived Experience can offer
- Challenged government and industry associations where they have failed to put the wellbeing of people and society above tax and profits
- Driven the call for an effective Public Health led strategy around Harmful Gambling and legacy impacts
Our Plans
What GLEN plans to achieve in the future
“Become a platform for Lived Experience to be more valued and play a ‘bigger part’ in discussions.”
“Establish genuine partnerships, where Lived Experience is valued.”
“Have more involvement at strategic level and help to drive the agenda around gambling harm.”
- Continue to position GLEN as a platform supporting the needs and views of people with Lived Experience of Gambling Harms
- Remain independent and be responsive to the wants and needs of our community
- Continue to establish relationships and work collaboratively with stakeholders in both the gambling harms community and beyond
- Use our Lived Experience to make a genuine difference through amplifying the voices of those who truly understand gambling harms
Responding to a changing environment - The Statutory Levy in 2026 and beyond
- During a time of immense change in the Gambling Harms sector we have committed ourselves to achieving three main objectives in 2026
- #1 - Keeping the system Goal Focused
- #2 - Championing what works well in the system, and challenging decisions which put this at risk
- #3 - Making Lived Experience Matter
- To achieve these aims we will be increasing all levels of stakeholder engagement, and offering expanded opportunities to get involved in this