Friends and colleagues from The Lighthouse paid a special tribute to Shaun O’Brien, a support worker who passed away suddenly last December.
The team arranged for Blackpool Tower to be illuminated with a red heart in remembrance of O’Brien, which shone bright across the seafront from Monday 13th January until Wednesday 15th January.
Ronnie Troy, who worked with closely with Shaun for the last three years, said: “Shaun would always put clients first and was committed and dedicated to his role. He will always be fondly remembered and sadly missed.
“He had many great successes over the years helping to change clients lives in a positive way. His experience also contributed to the professional development of numerous new colleagues, he was always happy to pass on his knowledge and wisdom to assist in their roles”.
Born in Yorkshire before moving to Blackpool, 64-year-old Shaun had worked at Horizon’s The Lighthouse – which provides dedicated alcohol support services on Dickson Road – for over a decade.
Starting as a support worker, Shaun helped hundreds of clients using his lived experience and thoroughly enjoyed his role as Health & Safety Lead.
Spoken during the eulogy at Shaun’s funeral, Ronnie joked: “If he was here now, he would be looking for trip hazards and health and safety breaches!”
Carole Paterson, who worked with Shaun ‘a few years ago’ at Horizon, posted a tribute in an Instagram post. In her social media message, she said: “He was so passionate about helping people in recovery in Blackpool and he will be greatly missed”.
She continued: “On my first day at work for Horizon, Shaun showed me some of the creative work that had been produced by his service users. He was so proud of their achievements and presented the creative work as if it was treasure”.
During his time at Horizon, one of Shaun’s projects included transforming an old Blackpool tram into a static gallery to showcase artwork created by people in recovery.
The tram gallery stood proud on Blackpool Promenade for over three years, bringing together many different services and service users.
Carole added: “It was really moving to see someone so passionate about helping people in recovery. A big thank you to Shaun for the amazing difference he made in Blackpool”.
The Tower will also illuminate in orange and canary yellow, which represents Dry January® and Horizon’s brand colours.
Dry January® is a real opportunity to recognise and celebrate the achievement of The Lighthouse and supporting agencies.
In 2024, The Lighthouse received over 1000 referrals, provided over 300 liver FibroScan examinations, and referred 41 clients for inpatient alcohol detoxifications.
The Lighthouse is part of the Horizon service, which is funded by Blackpool Council. Together, they provide a wide range of drug and alcohol support for all Blackpool residents. They offer information, health screenings, treatments (including opioid substitution therapy) and counselling – all confidential and free.
