On Maxie's living room wall is a large painting with the legend," The love of Christ constrains me" (2 Corinthians 5;14) This constraint has made her into a fearless warrior for the lives of young people in our society.
Since 1987 she has openly and consistently challenged the official Government harm-reduction policy with regard to drugs - i.e. the policy whereby we accept that there is a problem and just try to accommodate it!
She has raised public awareness by organising annual conferences, inviting world experts to come and speak, demonstrations, petitions, mass gatherings and public prayer in George Square.
She has featured in radio and TV programmes, written for papers, and lectured adults and young people on the real danger of drugs.
She has raised funds to open "The King's Court" where young men are given the chance to start life over again free from killer drugs.
All the time she has young people staying in her home, helping, encouraging and supporting them as they kick their habit.
Her research into the Scandinavian countries' approach to the drug problem proved to her that our own Government's approach is too soft and ineffective. In Norway, a young person found in possession of an illegal drug becomes the centre of an immediate conference between a social worker, the police and his/her parents. There are heavy prison sentences for being in possession of drugs. The result is that in Sweden there are fewer addicts than there are in Glasgow alone.
Maxie values all human life; she sees the addicts as real people trapped inside an addiction, people made by God who wants only the best for all his children.
She values the prayers and interest of Christians of all denominations. She is now saving up to buy a house suitable for women who want to recover from addiction.
A Short Biography of Maxie Beatrice Richards, NFF, AMRSPH, AMRSM
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Read:
Maxie's letter to the Prime Minister
Maxie's response to the Telegraph
A Wee Poem for Wee Maxie
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| 1958-1986 | National Froebel Foundation Primary School Teacher / Head Teacher. NFF |
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| 1986 | Started voluntary hands-on work with addicted people. |
| 1987 | "Whitbread Community Care Award for Scotland" awarded to the community Drug Rehabilitation Project, centred at "The Place," Possilpark, for which Maxie had taken on responsibility, in a voluntary capacity, in 1986 |
| 1987 | Associate Member of the Royal Society of Public Health. AMRSPH. |
| 1990 | Maxie started taking young addicted people as guests into her home. This charitable work continues. |
| 1992 | Accepted by North East and Strathkelvin District Social Work Dept. as a Supported Carer. |
| 1992-3 | Responsible for lobbying, successfully, the Lord Advocate, for a Fatal Accident Enquiry into drug deaths. There were 75 deaths in 1992. . This case was heard in Glasgow's High Court on 2nd November 1993. |
| 1994 | Awarded "Scotswoman Of The Year." in Glasgow City Chambers. |
| 1994 | The launch of Maxie Richards' Foundation Charity, SC 030626, by Glasgow Lord Provost, James Shields. |
| 1994 | The opening of the "Drug Crisis Intervention Centre" for Strathclyde, a Project which was spearheaded by Dr. Nitza Pauleau, Maxie Richards and Rose Henderson. This Project was taken over by the Statutory Bodies to promote their Harm Reduction Policy, sadly preventing the introduction of a long-awaited, and badly needed, drug-free facility for Scotland, as intended. |
| 1996 | Awarded a Winston Churchill Travelling Fellowship to research Drug Addiction policies in Norway and Sweden and became a Churchill Fellow. |
| 2000 | The Maxie Richards Foundation charity became a Company Limited by Guarantee - SC212660. |
| 2002 | Opened a Supported Accommodation house, "The Kings Court", for men, who have been detoxed from drugs in her Centre in Bearsden and who then need residential rehabilitation. This centre is in Tighnabruaich, Argyll. |
| 2003 | Named by Rotary Foundation International, a "Paul Harris Fellow". This Award is given to Rotarians "In appreciation of tangible and significant assistance given for the furtherance of better understanding and friendly relations among peoples of the world." |
| 2007 | Associate Member of the Royal Society of Medicine. AMRSM. |
| 2008 | Opened an extensive Work Unit, for retraining purposes, in Port Glasgow. This enables young people to learn new skills and to be then in a position to find work. |
| 2009 | Licensed by the N.E.T Device Corporation as a N.E.T. USER in Scotland.
This Neuro-Electric Therapy device was researched and invented by Neuro-Surgeon, Dr Meg Patterson, M.B.E., over forty years ago, for the treatment of addictions. Dr Meg was born in Aberdeen and Graduated in Medicine there, then gained her F.R.C.S in Edinburgh. |
| 2009 | Maxie was awarded a "Lifetime Achievement Award" by the "Centre For Social Justice" London. |
