Ceri Walker, ambassador

I found Nacoa 6 years when I made a film about my mum’s addiction for the Recovery Street film festival. Finding them has been life changing for me. Finally I understood that being a COA is a thing, and I felt I could be myself, with all my broken bits!

I became a media volunteer, doing radio, newspaper and tv interviews, which I could never have done before, in the hope of helping others feel less alone. This year I had the huge privilege of speaking at the David Stafford Memorial lecture at the House of Commons.

I have also helped with a mural project in Bristol, made more films, and also become an Ambassador this year, my proudest moment yet! Helping support Nacoa and being the voice of children of alcoholics has become my purpose, and I really feel I’ve found who I am meant to be in them, all I do is in memory of my mum.

‘Understanding the child in me’

A poetic whirlwind of memory and reflection. Award winning film-maker Ceri Walker speaks to her childhood self. An animated short film delving into the deep impacts of growing up with a parent who drinks too much.

This is Ceri Walker’s long-awaited return to her ‘Understanding’ series of short films. Through objects, scraps and old photographs, she navigates painful memories left by her mum. And a need to break the cycle for her own children: ‘I love you Mum. But this ends with me.’ Watch the rest of the

‘Understanding’ series here.