Inspirational Chelsea recognised in her home town

Dundee social justice campaigner Chelsea Cameron shared her gratitude after having a room named after her in our head office, Agnes Husband House.

The 25-year-old is one of a number of inspirational people nominated by colleagues in recognition of the impact they have made to life in Scotland with their work or campaigning.

Chelsea’s remarkable journey started when she was a teenager in 2017 after writing a blog post to her parents who were drug addicts. She told them how difficult it was growing up with their lifestyle but thanked them for showing her life was not “rainbows and sunshine”.

She has since been named Scotland’s Community Champion, advised the Scottish Government on social issues, worked with addicts, volunteered with homeless people and has just completed a degree in community education.

But she thinks the most valuable award has been getting to use her voice to highlight the toll drug addiction takes on both users and their loved ones.

She said: “I can’t quite believe It’s been seven years since I wrote that letter and shared my story. When things like having the room named after me comes up, I can’t believe people have even thought of me.

“Addiction is such a big problem, not just for those that are using substances or drugs or whatever, but the families who are affected by that and especially the children whose parents are using. Hopefully people will recognise the scale of the problem.”

The challenges of addiction are still with Chelsea. Sadly, she lost her father, Alexander, to a drug overdose in 2022.

She said: “I was really close to my Dad and his death has made me even more passionate about continuing what I’m doing so that other families aren't affected like mine has been.

“People maybe have an opinion or the assumption that this is something which is historical for me but it isn't.

“I think that's really important to know, that it's still there and active as it is with so many people who are dealing with this.”

Many of the people who have rooms named after them have been invited to visit our offices in Dundee or Glasgow to see their rooms and speak to colleagues. Chelsea was particularly pleased to have a room named after her in her home town.

She said: “It means a lot. I’m from Dundee, my family is from here, my upbringing was here. My family was hugely impacted by the issues I talked about in the letter and all of that was in Dundee.

“I think that connection with the city is really important. If you see someone that's from where you're from, and know that they've managed to overcome a challenge, it can just help to spur people on.”

David Wallace, Chief Executive of Social Security Scotland, said:

“It’s no surprise my colleagues chose to recognise Chelsea and her story by naming a room after her in our head office, Agnes Husband House, in Dundee. She’s an outstanding young woman who displayed great courage to tell her story while still a teenager.

“Chelsea left a strong and lasting impression on all of us which will inspire myself and my colleagues going forward. We wish her every success in the future.”