I find it virtually impossible to remember or imagine my life B.P. (Before Penrhyn). Although I am not in Recovery myself, my passion for that particular ‘tribe’ is all-consuming. Most of my best friends are in recovery, many of the events I attend are recovery-focused, and I spend my ‘free’ time volunteering for recovery projects. So, where did this passion come from?
The simple answer is that I got involved because James Deakin asked me. Maybe he saw me as a soft touch, maybe he thought I was wealthy, or maybe he thought that if I believed in something I would stick with it through thick and thin. I would like to believe it was the latter, but you would have to ask him about that! I remember that the ideas he was describing to give people something to do at weekends, and in the evenings, seemed sensible and do-able.
My working life has encompassed working in mental health, forensic units, prisons, and finally in the substance misuse field. It has made me realise how lucky I was to have the parents and the upbringing that I experienced. Loved and nurtured throughout my life, never judged but supported, and allowed to grow. These were all things that I thought were a RIGHT of all children. Now I know that I was lucky to be given these gifts. Maybe that’s really why I continue to be around NWRC after 10 years. I know I’ve been lucky and I want to ‘pay it back’.
So what does my involvement look like? I have cooked meals, run various groups, walked, run, gardened, given advice, tidied up, hugged people, and examined and cared for their feet on the 100 mile walks. Laughed, cried, held new babies, patted dogs, made curtains, and obtained items off Facebook. Looking at that list, I have acted as a parent, sibling, and good friend; whatever people need. I’m part of the wonderful, dysfunctional family that is North Wales Recovery Communities (NWRC).
And it’s not a one way street. NWRC gives back! I want to try and demonstrate the length and breadth of the phenomenon that is NWRC. I thought I might do it as a ‘Top Ten’ amazing experiences that I have been able to enjoy during a decade. I have to say that it’s not all been sunshine and roses. There have been dark and hard times too. Losing people who have relapsed and are never coming back; fighting the stigma of being ‘a bunch of addicts’; and the difficulties of sticking to doing things a different way because you just know it works.
The first entry in my Top Ten was captured in a photo that is still on the wall of Penrhyn House. It was taken outside the front door and shows a group of about 12 people. They had just attended the first ever Moving On In My Recovery (MOIMR) Group that was held in Penrhyn. It was a proud moment, a beginning filled with trepidation and excitement. Ten years later, this programme still runs every week at Penrhyn and in many other sites across Wales. It has helped thousands of people to learn skills, find a voice, and change their life.
Number 2 in my Recovery Charts is our first Dry Bar. An evening event held at a local venue with live music, great food and NO ALCOHOL OR DRUGS. This was our first move into allowing people to experience a great social experience without psychoactive substances. This answered the often asked question: ‘How will I enjoy myself if I’m sober/straight?’
And so to Number 3, that involves sanitary towels, foreign travel, and paying back. In 2017, I went to Kenya. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? My trip was to visit a Charity project in rural Kenya that I had been supporting for several years. In 2016, I visited for the first time and decided I needed to go again. Penrhyn House got involved and raised money so that we could build a house for a widow and her children to help her get back on her feet. Then, all residents helped to cut out and pack the materials for 1100 re-usable sanitary towels. Another wonderful photo for my collection.
Then I went to Kenya with my friend Lynda, a lady in Recovery who had told me she had never dreamed that she could make a trip like that. So there we were, in Kenya. NWRC going International and proving that Giving Back can be everybody’s business.
Number 4 is our Celebration Days, especially 2018 when were able to not only listen to the stories of people in Recovery, but the stories of their families’ heartaches that were turned to gratitude and happiness with the help of NWRC.
Number 5 was a Gong Bath that we arranged at Penrhyn House. A completely new experience for most people. Bathing in the sounds waves from the Tibetan Gongs was emotional, and opened up many opportunities to try new experiences to heal the mind.
Number 6 saw a minibus full of the NWRC community travelling to Middlesbrough for the UKRF Annual Convention and Recovery Walk. A sea of purple walking through the middle of the town, a union of Recovery communities from all over the country, and speakers from as far afield as America.
Number 7 was the 100 mile walk in Pembrokeshire in 2023. My first experience of the whole week away with NWRC. Counselling, logistics, negotiation, catering, and foot care. Tears, tantrums, laughter, tears, and blisters. That week had it all! I felt that NWRC tested me to my absolute limits.
Number 8 was the Service of Remembrance and Hope that took place at Bangor Cathedral in September 2023. A beautiful space to celebrate our thriving community and remember those friends who did not make it. I was honoured to have a place in that service.
Number 9 was the 2024 Penrhyn Panto. An overflowing house of guests witnessed a re-write of the Nativity by Ben. All the residents had bespoke roles and played them with enthusiasm. The message of the Nativity was still there, and the sense of achievement, community and fun was immense.
Number 10 are the Penrhyn babies. Our NWRC family is growing. People who met at NWRC and pursued their Recovery journeys together have now had children! They are the future. They are feeling the benefit of all the learning that their parents have done the hard way. They are having the best start; hopefully, they will have resilience and always feel supported and secure. The childhood that I had. The best start in life. Thank you for all my wonderful memories, NWRC members.
NB. I broke my resolve to have all one page articles for this Celebration—for the forthcoming pdf document—as a thanks to Sarah for all the short stories she collected. And I love her contribution!
