BUSINESS leaders and health professionals are being invited to attend a wellness and addiction information event at a new £7m centre due to open in February.

HR and health professionals are being invited to hear from leading workplace wellness and addiction experts - and a former Premier League footballer - at the free Cheshire event.

A line-up of some of the most respected industry professionals will share their expertise and be on hand for questions at the official launch of groundbreaking new £7m Delamere rehab centre.

Chester and District Standard:

An artists' impression of the £7m Delamere centre near Cuddington

Centre founder Martin Preston, who battled cocaine and alcohol addiction in his teens, believes all employers must be aware of the signs of addiction and how to help sufferers in order to protect their staff and businesses. Alcohol dependency alone affects one in every 100 people, Public Health England figures estimate.

Martin said: “We see part of our work as reaching out to employers and the wider community to share our knowledge on addiction and recovery and raise awareness of how it affects people from all backgrounds.

“Delamere is designed to be different. We want to break down stigma around addiction and offer truly bespoke, holistic support in an exemplary environment.

“People spend such a lot of their lives at work and switched-on employers can be among the first to notice signs of addiction. Interventions from employers can be key to prompting recovery, reducing heartache for individuals and creating benefits for the bottom line.”

Chester and District Standard:

Prof Sir Cary Cooper

The Delamere launch event will include presentations from:

● World-renowned workplace wellness expert Prof Sir Cary Cooper, 50th Anniversary Professor of organisational psychology at Manchester Business School, who often speaks at events where tickets cost hundreds of pounds.

Sir Cary will speak about why workplace wellness has become a key issue in light of the UK productivity challenges and 57% of employee absence being attributed to stress.

● Addiction expert Delamere’s clinical director Mike Delaney, who will introduce the centre’s innovative treatment model - a transformation of addiction and behaviour treatment methods that have been widely unchanged in rehab centres for 40 years.

● Former Premier League and England footballer Gary Charles, sharing his own story of alcohol addiction recovery and subsequent work to help others.

The event takes place at Delamere, in Cuddington, on Tuesday, January 28. Places are free but limited. Anyone who wishes to attend must confirm availability with the centre in advance.

Delamere represents a £7m investment and is the only purpose built rehab and behavioural health centre of its kind in the UK. Rehab centres are typically based in converted care homes and old Victorian houses.

Set discreetly in six acres of green belt land, Delamere has the feel of a boutique hotel barn conversion, floor to ceiling windows and carefully landscaped grounds create a strong connection to nature.

A bespoke treatment programme will be offered combining long proven techniques with forward thinking methods.

The centre, creating 30 jobs, is due to receive its first guests in February, offering 24 en-suite rooms, with 24-hour medical supervision.

Anyone interested in attending the launch event can email: mandy.donnison@delamere.com or call the centre on 0330 111 2015.