When Angie Long lost her 18-year-old son Ryan on 8 July, she made a promise to him. She would keep his name alive, and she would do everything in her power to make sure no other family had to go through what hers has endured.
This week, that promise took her all the way to Downing Street.
Angie met Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer following Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, accompanied by Open Road’s service manager Natalie Amos and local MP David Burton-Sampson, who represents Southend West and Leigh. It was a moment that reflected just how far Angie has come in channelling her grief into something meaningful and how seriously those in power are beginning to listen.
Ryan, who was from Eastwood near Southend-on-Sea, was on his first holiday abroad with friends when he fell into a coma and died after taking ecstasy. His inquest confirmed that MDMA and cocaine were the cause of death. He was just 18 years old.
In the Commons, David Burton-Sampson spoke of how Angie had “ploughed her grief into campaigning.” Sir Keir responded with rare candour. As the father of a teenage son himself, he said the story was particularly difficult to hear, and that no mother should ever have to experience what Angie has been through. He also acknowledged something that Angie has encountered time and again in her campaign that stigma around drug-related deaths remains a very real barrier to open, honest conversation.
That is precisely what Open Road has been working alongside Angie to change. Since losing Ryan, Angie has been partnering with us to spread one simple but vital message: one pill can kill. Young people need to hear it. Parents need to be able to talk about it. And schools need to open their doors to these conversations before tragedy strikes again, not after.
Natalie Amos, who joined Angie at Downing Street, put it clearly: “Get us in to do some assemblies, get us in to do these educational workshops with the students to give them that early intervention.” Angie herself has heard from parents across the country who have faced similar losses; sons and daughters who went to concerts, to festivals, to a night out with friends, and never came home. Her message to young people is direct and compassionate: look out for each other. Don’t assume that someone who seems unwell just needs to sleep it off. And never believe it couldn’t happen to you.
“Get us in to do some assemblies, get us in to do these educational workshops with the students to give them that early intervention.” Natalie Amos
At Open Road, we are proud to stand alongside Angie in this work. Her courage in turning the worst possible experience into a force for change is extraordinary, and her determination to reach young people early, honestly, and without judgement is entirely aligned with how we believe prevention should work.
If you are a school, a college, or a youth organisation in Essex and you would like to find out more about our educational workshops and early intervention programmes, please get in touch. We are ready to come to you. Ryan’s memory deserves nothing less.
Watch David Burton-Sampson’s PMQ’s and story of the event on Instagram:
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