A health and social care provider is preparing to celebrate its 60th anniversary by inviting contributions for an exhibition at Kensington Palace this summer.

The proposed exhibition, titled ‘A History of Turning Point in 60 Objects’, aims to display items put forth by those who have been supported by Turning Point, or who have worked with it.

The organisation assists more than 171,000 people annually in dealing with various issues spanning drug and alcohol misuse, mental health complications, and learning disabilities, by operating 283 services throughout the nation.

Senior operations manager, Andy Symons, said: "For almost a decade, Turning Point has been supporting people in Oxfordshire to recover from drug and alcohol issues.

“Our experienced staff combine their expertise with a compassionate approach to helping every single person that comes to our services."

He encouraged those who have interacted with the organisation to put forward objects that reflect their stories.

One such story is that of Pagan Watt, a 30-year-old who has been associated with Turning Point for eight years and who has now managed to stay off ketamine for longer than a year.

Sharing her experience, Ms Watt, now a peer mentor at the Oxfordshire service, said she grew up in an environment where addiction was common.

She admitted to using ketamine for over a decade, a habit that resulted in the loss of her daughter to adoption.

She said: "Last year, whilst in hospital with sepsis, pneumonia and TB, I told staff to take her to rehab. I didn’t want that lifestyle anymore. I wanted to be able to see my daughter.”

The Kensington Palace exhibition in June also extends an invitation to the public to participate in the Turning Point 60 campaign, echoing the theme 'Finding Hope in the Most Unexpected of Places'.

The organisation intends to use all participant stories in refining their services.

The stories will also be shared with influencers and policy makers to promote societal improvement.

Turning Point’s chief executive, Julie Bass, said: "Turning Point’s longevity speaks volumes for the level of service that every centre across the country provides to our clients.

"We would love to hear the inspirational stories of the journeys people have gone through over the last six decades – it is the reason why we continue to strive to be the best at what we do."

Turning Point, whose royal connections date back to Princess Diana's patronage from 1985 to 1996, will share some of these inspirational stories at the week-long exhibition.

The charity launched services in Oxfordshire in 2015 after being established by London philanthropist Barry Richards as the Helping Hand Organisation in 1964.