In the first film below, James Deakin emphasises that people with addiction problems cause a large cost to society, so it’s important that when they’re getting well they give something back. He believes it essential that North Wales Recovery Communities (NWRC) members give service to the local community and further afield. The giving back to others can take various forms.
In the second film, James describes how NWRC provided food for vulnerable people in their local community during the Covid lockdown. NWRC’s service expands beyond UK borders as described in the third film… and sewing machines were involved!
1. Service & Identity [4’54”]
One of the big fundamentals for North Wales Recovery Communities (NWRC) is service to the wider community. James emphasises that people with addiction problems cause a large cost to society, so it’s important that when they’re getting well they give something back. When he was getting well, he was very conscious of the fact that he caused harm and damage to those around him. As he started to help others, he realised that there was so much value to giving back, and to be recognised as a positive, upstanding member of the community.
Members of NWRC know that the work that they did to help people in their local community during Covid was of immense value. This help, which was greatly appreciated local community members in lockdown, included providing 80,000 meals which were prepared at Penrhyn House.
James points out that when NWRC first set up at Penrhyn House, there was some local resistance. When they recently announced that they were moving to a new location, loads of local people approached them to say they ‘were gutted’ we are leaving. They want NWRC to remain in contact with their community. James emphasises that whilst they will be a couple of miles across the city, they will ensure they retain a big footprint in that area.
2. Rising Above Covid [7’30”]
During a Covid lockdown, 18 NWRC members, including a number of former chefs in recovery, are locked down in the recovery community’s Penrhyn House. They start to feed vulnerable people in the community, using food from the community allotment and provided by supermarkets. The food is gathered, cooked, frozen and delivered. A total of 80,000 meals are provided to families and individuals. The recovery community responds quicker to feeding vulnerable people than the Welsh government and local councils. In fact, the Welsh government eventually provides some funding for the initiative, at least during the Covid lockdown. NWRC currently runs a surplus food club at their cafe, Bwyd Da Bangor (Good Food Bangor).
3. Filling a Void & Sewing for Kenya [6’53”]
Boxing is a big part of the physical fitness activities at Penryhn House. ‘There’s nothing quite as liberating, or as enjoyable, as being punched in the face by one of your close friends.’ Early on, James used to take some real pastings off the lads. The community does lots of creative writing. They partner with Eternal Media in Wrexham, which is run by Marcus Fair. Eternal Media film the NWRC Expeditions and they’ve recently won Best Documentary (Wales) for Focus Wales 2023. They do a 12-week programme for NWRC members showing the basics of filmmaking and podcasting.
James emphasises that addiction takes up everything in a person’s life, so when you remove that, ‘there’s this massive void that is left behind…. You have to fill that.’ The person can’t sit around and watch TV all day. They need to find something that they can get passionate about. James believes that hobbies are really crucial to a person’s recovery. ‘The things that we do by choice, the things that we just do for sheer enjoyment, either because they give us just a sense of pleasure or a sense of mastery…’ James points out that when you stop using or drinking, your emotions come back again, so its important to find something that you can get passionate about that fills that gap. The community’s growing project is also relevant here; it’s also about people being outside and nurturing something.
One of the NWRC Trustees, Sarah, goes out to Kenya regularly. NWRC sponsors a family, a woman with six children who had lost her husband in tribal fighting. The family was homeless, so NWRC raised the money in the community to build them a house. Sarah went over to sort things out with one of NWRC’s longest members, Linda. NWRC now sends money to help the children with their education.
When Sarah and Linda returned from Kenya, they pointed out that one of the big issues for the girls was ‘period poverty’. Once the girls start menstruating, they can’t access school anymore as disposable sanitary towels didn’t really exist. NWRC obtained about ten sewing machines and members started making reusable sanitary towels out of material in the Penryhn House classroom. They made about 20,000 towels. James could feel the buzz and vibe in the room where Linda was working away with ‘a load of hardened former heroin users who had spent half their life in prison.’ One of the lads said, ‘For the first time in my life I actually feel like I’m contributing to someone else who is worse off than me.’