Date: October 26, 2025
Author: Piotr F — Founder of the Shannon Project
After years of seeing Shannon being ignored and neglected, I realised that silence would not change anything.What began as a series of formal complaints in 2021 has now become a public campaign — The Shannon Project.
In 2021, I began to notice how badly Shannon C. was being treated — or rather, ignored — by the institutions that were supposed to help her.
I saw how Aspire Doncaster, a publicly funded addiction service, failed to provide real rehabilitation or long-term care.
Aspire is a partnership organisation created by Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust (RDaSH) and the registered charity The Alcohol & Drug Service (ADS). On paper, it looks like a well-structured service. In reality, Shannon and many others received nothing close to genuine support.
The First Complaints and FOI Request (2021)
In 2021, I submitted a number of official letters and complaints to several institutions, including Aspire, Doncaster Council, and RDaSH.
I wanted answers — how much public money was being spent, and what outcomes it produced.
On 10th July 2021, I filed a Freedom of Information (FOI) request covering the period June 2016 – June 2021.
A month later, on 10th August 2021, I received their response.
To ensure that my advocacy for Shannon was fully legitimate, on 15th August 2021, Shannon herself signed a Power of Attorney and Authorization to obtain her health information and medical records.
She trusted me to act in her best interest — something the system had failed to do.
Years of Silence and Neglect
Despite all the letters, complaints, and documents, nothing changed.
Months turned into years. Shannon continued to live under the same neglect — trapped in a loop of short-term interventions, ignored by services that were supposed to protect her.
No one took responsibility. No one cared to ask why she was still without proper rehabilitation after years of public funding.
Revisiting the FOI — A Shocking Discovery (2024)
By the end of 2024, I decided to revisit the FOI response I had received three years earlier.
What I found was shocking: out of several million pounds allocated to Aspire each year, only about 2–3% was spent on inpatient rehabilitation — the very service most crucial for recovery.
This discovery became the turning point. I realised that I couldn’t wait for the system to fix itself.
And so, The Shannon Project was born.
The Beginning of the Shannon Project (2024–2025)
In late 2024, I launched an awareness initiative for Shannon on Google Sites, published key documents, and sent additional complaints — including one to the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
CQC acknowledged receipt of my complaint, but months passed, and no action was taken.
By early 2025, it became clear that if change was going to happen, it would have to come from me.
So I created the GoFundMe campaign to raise support for Shannon — for her health, accommodation, and rehabilitation.
Then, in September 2025, I designed flyers and stickers with QR codes leading to Shannon’s case, to raise public awareness locally.
In September 2025, I purchased the domain ShannonProject.uk and officially launched this blog.
And today — October 26, 2025 — I am publishing this first post.
This is the beginning of a transparent, public record of everything the institutions failed to do for Shannon — and everything we are now doing ourselves.
This project is not only about Shannon. It is about every person abandoned by a broken system. The Shannon Project exists to bring accountability, hope, and change.