very true

its Tuesday , lots happening

Hi How are you all

So its Tuesday lots happening today like I watched a great TV show last night, Auto-spy on Amy Winehouse, very eye opening, check it out please ! http://www.channel5.com/shows/autopsy-the-last-hours-of-amy-winehouse;

- Focus meeting for the 'beAt' movement

- More advertising for the film project which is going really well, got more contributors and sound track tracks etc

-Going to a MAPs peer support meeting

- Going to college

- Gonna start drafting up leaflets for a film showing im doing (subject to venue, date and time being confirmed) but if i get the leaflet drafted for now and add them details asap i can get the leaflets advertising straight away to ensure a great attendance.

- Might go and buy an A3 sketch pad and start storyboarding the film as I now have contributors and nearly the soundtrack sorted, start putting it together then i can arrange filming dates etc

thats about it for today, I will be writing a longer post at some point this week, maybe tomorrow, about how Portugal effectively and somewhat successfully tackled the war on drugs.

take care

Help!!

Im making a short film about drink, drugs and substances, the risks etc addiction and the help out there. It is going to be an educational film which we will hopefully get put into the UK main stream education system.

I need contributors to be interviewed about there journeys. I also need someone to do me 2 original music tracks for use within the film. Please inbox me or As yet unnamed Short film about addiction or Karls Recovery Blog & Movement or email karl.w.newton@googlemail.com

Mark Pawsey MP Meeting and the beAt movement

Hi

Quick update, so I just got back from meeting with Mark Pawsey, it went good, we discussed addiction services and support in Rugby and the gap in support in the evenings and at weekends and the work the 'beAt' movement is looking to do.  Mark said he will look into the gaps and attempting to get more support available 24/7 in Rugby.  Mark also said to keep in touch with him about developments and for any advice and support.

Also today we developed the final version of our logo for the 'beAt' movement!.

Now to get ready to go to a recovery event in Leicester which sounds good and exciting! 

Friday!!

Hi

Quick run through of the latest;

1) Im in a meeting later with the local MP who is part of the current governing body , im prepared and ready and excited aswell

2) Im off to a recovery event in Leicester tonight with friends, live music & poetry, presentation and food, sounds good to me!

3) Working on getting this film/coffee morning formally arranged for the AMY film

4) taking the mindfulness CD's up to Recovery

5) Bit of window shopping

All in all a busy day and photos to follow in time

Thursday it is!

Hi

How are you all, its been a busy day or 2.  Firstly see below my logo idea for beAt addiction movement;

2. Im making some Mindfulness CD's to hand out to other service users

3. Looking to organise a film and coffee morning for November to show the 'AMY' film

4. I am prepared for my meeting with the local MP tomorrow

Take Care

From Karl

Film please share and retweet for me!! need help with this!!

So, Im looking to make an educational film about alcohol, substances & drugs, addiction and how to get help breaking addiction. I intend then to pitch this film to educational bodies and recovery charities etc with a view to getting shown to as much people, mainly young people as possible.

I am going to start writing a storyboard for the film soon and I need

1) ex addicts of drink, drugs or substances to interview

2) a free or fairly cheap location to shout interviews

3) An acoustic original song with some relevance to the project which I will pay for the use of of and rights etc

Please share and Retweet this to as many as possible to help me get these things in place, it would be a massive help!!

 Contact karl.w.newton@googlemail.com, https://www.facebook.com/karlsrecoveryblog or twitter kwn1804

Tuesday, New Facebook Page and other note worthy news!!

Hello readers

How are you?  First things first check out the new fan page on Facebook and please like it and share the hell out of it, it will help raise awareness and be hugely appreciated its....: https://www.facebook.com/karlsrecoveryblog

I've just been to The Recovery Partnership for a MAP's meeting, i find these useful in the sense of being amongst a group of friends and like minded people, its a crucial support network for me.

So on my mind today is Eduction around Addiction and the harms of drink, drugs and substances which I have spoke before in previous posts.  I've decided a logical route into doing something within the education system would be to make a short film to create awareness of the harms of substances and how some people become addicted, throw in some shock and awe case studies and then inform the viewer how not to associate reaching out for help with a stigma and inform them of the help out there.  I will then pitch this film to education bodies with a view to getting it viewed within schools and colleges.  I have spoken with a film maker about this and been quoted £1000, but in all honesty I have a Macbook which is an ideal tool for powerfully self producing/directing it, so all i would need is a descent storyboard, camera and knowledge on how to do this myself, so that is the plan!

The second thing on my mind is that I need to start converting talk of starting a movement or opening a dry bar into a structured business plan to propose to investors, so I shall make  a start on this soon as well.

Im off to college tonight 6:30-9:00 for maths, excited about that but also a little disappointed I will be missing the Birmingham v Villa Derby , the first in 4 and a half years, UP THE BLUES KRO!! lol

Mondays post, update on me and 'The Rat Park'

So hello, its Monday, a new week.  Im now over 30 weeks sober, although due to mental health im not feeling great at the moment, but my meds are high at the moment so i hope its just that.

Today I want to look at Bruce Alexander and his Rat Park

Bruce Alexander and the Rat Park

The Rat Park experiment

Are drugs addictive? As odd as it might sound, one scientist believes that they weren't — at least not to the degree most people insisted. He thought it had more to do with overwhelming misery and depressing environments, and to prove it he created the ideal environment... for rats.

In the late 1970s, Canadian psychologist Bruce Alexander was distressed by the laws and policies pertaining to opiate drugs. He didn't approve of the harsh penalties dealt out to people in the name of addiction prevention. Generally those penalties were applied in order to prevent drug dealers from pushing their product on new people — at which point the addictive nature of drugs caused people to be hooked.

When Alexander looked at the studies indicating the addictive properties of drugs, he found what he believed to be insufficient evidence. There were plenty of interviews with drug users who self-reported themselves as being addicted, but Alexander reasoned that they had reasons of their own to declare that their affinity for drugs was beyond their control. Meanwhile, the relatively few studies done on addiction were highly technical and all relied on one thing: they were conducted on rats that lived and died in miserable, cramped cages.

It seemed to Alexander that the reported increased rates of addiction in economically depressed areas might have something in common with the consistently high rates of addiction in studies done on rats in distressing environments. Drugs provided relief from pain, and if it was the only relief available, it was no wonder that anything — animal or human — would turn to it with the fervor of an addict. Alexander began to put forward a new hypothesis. If rats were given a beautiful living area that allowed them a relatively happy life, they would not become addicted.

The Rat Park experiment

And so he built "Rat Park," a testing facility meant to give the rats inside it plenty of room, exercise and play facilities, good food, lots of bottles and boxes to explore, mixed-gender company, and private areas to raise their young. His group even painted the walls to resemble a forest. Before populating Rat Park, they forced many of its future inhabitants to ingest morphine hydrochloride for a month and a half. Less lucky rats were fed with morphine and then put in standard lab cages. Once the two groups of rats were housed, they were given a choice between morphine-laced water and regular water. Although the caged rats overwhelmingly chose the morphine-laced water, relatively few of the Rat Park residents did.

Alexander began trying to induce the Rat Park rats to take the morphine. His best results were with a sugar solution. Rats love sugar, and if the morphine was heavily sugared the rats did try it, but they still didn't consume nearly as much as the caged rats did. At one point, the caged rats were consuming twenty times as much as the Rat Park residents were. Alexander published his results, declaring that miserable living conditions were the primary cause of addiction to opiates, not the opiates themselves.

His theory did not gain much popularity. His procedure, overall, seems to have drawn more attention than his conclusions. Scientists realised that isolated animals in cages may not provide a useful response in experiments determining human behaviour, but few people hold to the theory that drugs are not, for the most part, addictive. A similar experiment that seemed to contradict his results didn't help, although its framers admitted that they might have done the experiment with two different rat subspecies, one of which might be resistant to addiction.

It's understandable that no one wants to say that drugs aren't addictive. If they are, and people get hooked, one announcement might spawn a generation of addicts. And if they're not, they're hardly healthy. Still, the idea of easing up on drug penalties and using any money saved to prevent the societal conditions that may contribute to addiction in the first place has an allure. What do you think of Rat Park?

Latest Radio SHow I've Done

http://karl-w-newton.podomatic.com/entry/2015-09-19T12_27_57-07_00

this is the latest radio show i've done for Recovery Radio UK.com

Its a great, lively, dance filled show so check it out

Take care

Love Karl

Happy Friday, My Mind is a BUZZ!! LOL

So im sat here with a number of ideas running around my mind....

- Hiring a venue to host a coffee & cake morning, followed by a quiz for the recovery community and as a chance to create awareness of The Rugby Partnership in Rugby

- Starting some sort of Arts, be it art, writing etc hobbie club in Rugby, all welcome

- Looking into starting my own sort of charity movement called beAt

- 100 day challenge, structuring a 100 day plan which would involve doing 1 new or fun thing a day for 100 days

- Starting a local midnight walk maybe on a Friday or Saturday fundraising event

The above are just some early pipeline ideas, not sure if any of them will actually happen but you have to have a dream to have a dream come true don't ya? lol

In other news today, Im still on a massive inspirational buzz from The Coventry Recovery Communities Event from last night it was amazing.  Also I am researching and preparing for my meeting with Mark Pawsey MP next Friday.

I have also been invited to a recovery meeting in Chesire in a few weeks time which im looking into, and also being issued some tickets to go on the TV show 'The Football League Show' in there studio with other fans.  I also plan this month on making a Mecca style journey to 'So-Bar' in Nottingham and 'The Trews Cafe' in London.

All exciting stuff, i shall write more on Monday

Celebrating Recovery Event in Coventry tonight!!

So tonight I attended The Celebrating Recovery Event in Coventry.  It was amazing and very inspiring, lots of great talkers, and my oh my one of the ‘Le Route De Recovery’ Bike Ride, MO!! WOW what an inspiring guy!! wow just wow.  One thing someone said is that recovery is like a mountain.  Some people sprint straight up it or ride right up it to the top an thats great, but others linger near the base, as a team supporting and guiding each other up the mountain step by step and that is every bit as crucial if not more so!!  Fantastic events and great to hear about all the great community based activities in Coventry that we should aspire to do in Rugby.  Below are photos!!

just a quickie to say hi

Hey

Just a quick post to say Hi today as im quite busy.  I've just been at The Recovery Partnership in Rugby for a MAP's meeting and now im grabbing a coffee etc before heading off to a recovery conference event in Coventry this evening.

All exciting I will write more soon

From Karl

Todays Update, Meeting with local MP, Fundraising Event & thought bits from a phone call with UKRF

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9ho0pdQEDk
First of all today I took a phone call offering me a meeting with my local MP Mark Pawsey, who represents the current governing body the Conservatives.  I will be meeting him on Friday 25th September to discuss addiction, UK National Recovery Month, My E Petition https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/108268/sponsors/uCYvrR4AJPZMuf6M99z to get the minimum unit pricing law and how alcohol is advertised reviewed and also to discuss the social venue idea.

Speaking of MP’s its also come to my notice (how could it not with all the ho ha around it) that the Labour party has a new leader and possible prime minister contender Mr Jeremy Corbyn.  Over the next day or so I intend to fully research this guy and his policy and attempt to find a way to contact him regarding minimum unit pricing and how alcohol is advertised.

Also I want to get a fundraising event off the ground, a coffee and cake morning followed by a quiz and raffle, Im going to send an email to a venue today to see about hiring it and build the roots from there.

I then took a phone call from Alistair Sinclair of UKRF and have took away the following thought bits.

British Dictionary definitions for addiction Expand
addiction
/əˈdɪkʃən/
noun
1.
the condition of being abnormally dependent on some habit, esp compulsive dependency on narcotic drugs

Word Origin and History for addiction Expand
n.
c.1600, "tendency," of habits, pursuits, etc.; 1640s as "state of being self-addicted," from Latin addictionem (nominative addictio) "an awarding, a devoting," noun of action from past participle stem of addicere (see addict ). Earliest sense was less severe: "inclination, penchant," but this has become obsolete. In main modern sense it is first attested 1906, in reference to opium (there is an isolated instance from 1779, with reference to tobacco).

addiction in Medicine Expand
addiction ad·dic·tion (ə-dĭk'shən)
n.
Habitual psychological and physiological dependence on a substance or practice beyond one's voluntary control.

addiction in Science Expand
addiction
(ə-dĭk'shən)
A physical or psychological need for a habit-forming substance, such as a drug or alcohol. In physical addiction, the body adapts to the substance being used and gradually requires increased amounts to reproduce the effects originally produced by smaller doses. See more at withdrawal.

A habitual or compulsive involvement in an activity, such as gambling.

So looking at the above, the word addiction wasn’t used in reference to substances until 1909.  It also got me thinking following a telephone call with Alistair Sinclair of UKRF, addiction is not just being hooked on a substance it is the lifestyle and behaviours that come along with it as well and when we enter recovery it is all of that we need to recover from.  Addiction is a very limited/narrow way of living, for example getting up to have a drink, not washing, only leaving the house to get drink and then sitting on the sofa for the rest of the day drinking until you pass out, going into recovery is breaking out of that.  Recovery is a value based way of living.  Alistair also mentioned ABCD which is Asset-based community development (ABCD) is a methodology for the sustainable development of communities based on their strengths and potentials. It involves assessing the resources, skills, and experience available in a community; organising the community around issues that move its members into action; and then determining and taking appropriate action.  Asset-based community development (ABCD) differs from needs-based community development in that it focuses primarily on honing and leveraging existing strengths within a community rather than bolstering community deficiencies. Related to tenets of empowerment, it postulates that solutions to community problems already exist within a community’s assets. Principles that guide ABCD include:

1. Everyone has gifts: each person in a community has something to contribute

2. Relationships build a community: people must be connected in order for sustainable community development to take place

3. Citizens at the centre: citizens should be viewed as actors—not recipients—in development

4. Leaders involve others: community development is strongest when it involves a broad base of community action

5. People care: challenge notions of "apathy" by listening to people's interests

7. Listen: decisions should come from conversations where people are heard

8. Ask: asking for ideas is more sustainable than giving solutions

The ABCD approach utilises several tools to assess and mobilise communities.

The Capacity Inventory
1. Skills Information: lists the many skills that a person has gained at home, work, in the community, or elsewhere. Examples of these skills can include internet knowledge, hair-cutting, listening, wallpapering, carpentry, sewing, babysitting, etc.

2. Community Skills: lists the community work in which a person has participated to determine future work they may be interested in.

3. Enterprising Interests and Experience: lists past experience in business and determines interest in starting a business.

4. Personal Information: lists minimum information for follow-up.

Asset Mapping
There are five key assets in any given community: individuals, associations, institutions, physical assets, and connections.  These assets are broken down into three categories: Gifts of individuals, Citizens’ Associations, and Local Institutions.   Asset maps are used in lieu of needs maps which focus solely on negative aspects of communities. Asset maps, on the other hand, focus on community assets, abilities, skills, and strengths in order to build its future.

Time Banks
Time banks are an example of using community assets to connect individuals' assets to one another.  Neighbours share skills with one another and earn ‘credits’ in the process, allowing an hour of child care to equal an hour of home repair or tax preparation.

Ethics
Because ABCD relies on existing community assets to create change, it has been criticised for implying that disadvantaged communities have all the resources they need to solve community problems.  According the ABCD Institute, however, ABCD methodology recognises that systemic injustice may require disadvantaged communities to seek assistance from outside the community. ABCD maintains that interventions from exterior sources will be most effective when a community’s assets are leveraged at full capacity.  ABCD is described as a more sustainable model of community development than needs-based community development, because needs-based approaches may perpetuate community problems by emphasising deficiencies and the necessity for reliance on outside assistance. By contrast, ABCD aims to build capacity within communities by expanding their social capital.

Another thing Alistair told me about is something I had heard of, the 5 ways to wellbeing, this was something the government studied and researched in 2008 and I will be digging into further but its concepts are;

Five ways to wellbeing
The following steps have been researched and developed by the New Economics Foundation.

Connect
There is strong evidence that indicates that feeling close to, and valued by, other people is a fundamental human need and one that contributes to functioning well in the world.

It’s clear that social relationships are critical for promoting wellbeing and for acting as a buffer against mental ill health for people of all ages.

With this in mind, try to do something different today and make a connection.

Talk to someone instead of sending an email
Speak to someone new
Ask how someone’s weekend was and really listen when they tell you
Put five minutes aside to find out how someone really is
Give a colleague a lift to work or share the journey home with them.

Be active
Regular physical activity is associated with lower rates of depression and anxiety across all age groups.

Exercise is essential for slowing age-related cognitive decline and for promoting well-being.

But it doesn’t need to be particularly intense for you to feel good - slower-paced activities, such as walking, can have the benefit of encouraging social interactions as well providing some level of exercise.

Today, why not get physical? Here are a few ideas:

Take the stairs not the lift
Go for a walk at lunchtime
Walk into work - perhaps with a colleague – so you can ‘connect’ as well
Get off the bus one stop earlier than usual and walk the final part of your journey to work
Organise a work sporting activity
Have a kick-about in a local park
Do some ‘easy exercise’, like stretching, before you leave for work in the morning
Walk to someone’s desk instead of calling or emailing.

Take notice
Reminding yourself to ‘take notice’ can strengthen and broaden awareness.

Studies have shown that being aware of what is taking place in the present directly enhances your well-being and savouring ‘the moment’ can help to reaffirm your life priorities.

Heightened awareness also enhances your self-understanding and allows you to make positive choices based on your own values and motivations.

Take some time to enjoy the moment and the environment around you. Here are a few ideas:

Get a plant for your workspace
Have a ‘clear the clutter’ day
Take notice of how your colleagues are feeling or acting
Take a different route on your journey to or from work
Visit a new place for lunch.

Learn
Continued learning through life enhances self-esteem and encourages social interaction and a more active life.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that the opportunity to engage in work or educational activities particularly helps to lift older people out of depression.

The practice of setting goals, which is related to adult learning in particular, has been strongly associated with higher levels of wellbeing.



Why not learn something new today? Here are a few more ideas:

Find out something about your colleagues
Sign up for a class
Read the news or a book
Set up a book club
Do a crossword or Sudoku
Research something you’ve always wondered about
Learn a new word.

Give
Anticipation in social and community life has attracted a lot of attention in the field of wellbeing research.

Individuals who report a greater interest in helping others are more likely to rate themselves as happy.

Research into actions for promoting happiness has shown that committing an act of kindness once a week over a six-week period is associated with an increase in wellbeing.

These are concepts that can in theory be applied to any type of recovery be in addiction, mental health or anything to aid recovery.

Alistair also advised me to look up a guy by the name of Bruce Alexander.  Bruce K. Alexander (born 20 December 1939) a psychologist and professor emeritus from Vancouver, BC, Canada. He has taught and conducted research on the psychology of addiction at Simon Fraser University since 1970.  He retired from active teaching in 2005. Alexander and SFU colleagues conducted a series of experiments into drug addiction known as the Rat Park experiments. He has written two books: Peaceful Measures: Canada’s Way Out of the War on Drugs (1990) and The Globalization of Addiction: A Study in Poverty of the Spirit (2008).  Alexander is famed also for the Rat Park work he did, which I will be researching further over the next day or 2.  The Rat Park experiments, published in psychopharmacology journals in the late 1970s and early 1980s, flatly contradicted the dominant view of addiction in their day. They quickly disappeared from view, having evoked only negative responses in the mainstream press and journals. Lauren Slater’s controversial psychology book, Opening Skinner’s Box: Great Psychological Experiments of the Twentieth Century helped to bring them back to public attention in 2005. These experiments are now widely known and cited.

The Rat Park experiments were among the first to show the error in the once dominant myth that certain drugs, particularly the opiates, convert all or most users into drug addicts. In the 1970s, this myth was said to be demonstrated by the high consumption of opiates and stimulants of rats isolated in specially modified Skinner Boxes that allowed drug self-administration. Alexander and his colleagues demonstrated experimentally that rats isolated in cages of about the same size as Skinner Boxes consume far more morphine than rats that are socially housed in Rat Park. Subsequent research has confirmed that social housing reduces drug intake in rats and that the dominant myth was wrong both for rats and for human beings.  Nonetheless, the myth is still embedded in popular culture.

Here is a poem i stumbled across about substances and addiction etc

I destroy homes, tear families apart,take your children, and that's just the start.I'm more costly than diamonds, more costly than gold,the sorrow I bring is a sight to behold,and if you need me, remember I'm easily found.I live all around you, in schools and in town.I live with the rich, I live with the poor,I live down the street, and maybe next door.My power is awesome; try me you'll see,but if you do, you may never break free.Just try me once and I might let you go,but try me twice, and I'll own your soul.When I possess you, you'll steal and you'll lie.You do what you have to just to get high.The crimes you'll commit, for my narcotic charm will be worth the pleasure you'll feel in your arms.You'll lie to your mother; you'll steal from your dad When you see their tears, you should feel sad.But you'll forget your morals and how you were raised,I'll be your conscience, I'll teach you my ways.I take kids from parents, and parents from kids,I turn people from God, and separate from friends.I'll take everything from you, your looks and your pride,I'll be with you always, right by your side.You'll give up everything your family, your home,your friends, your money, then you'll be alone.I'll take and take, till you have nothing more to give.When I'm finished with you you'll be lucky to live.If you try me be warned this is no game.If given the chance, I'll drive you insane.I'll ravish your body; I'll control your mind.I'll own you completely; your soul will be mine.The nightmares I'll give you while lying in bed,the voices you'll hear from inside your head,the sweats, the shakes, the visions you'll see;I want you to know, these are all gifts from me,But then it's too late, and you'll know in your heart,that you are mine, and we shall not part.You'll regret that you tried me, they always do,but you came to me, not I to you.You knew this would happen. Many times you were told,but you challenged my power, and chose to be bold.You could have said no, and just walked away,If you could live that day over, now what would you say?I'll be your master; you will be my slave,I'll even go with you, when you go to your grave.Now that you have met me, what will you do?Will you try me or not? Its all up to you.I can bring you more misery than words can tell.Come take my hand, let me lead you to hell

Awesome Video, Check it!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9ho0pdQEDk

Addicted Stars and how the media LOVE IT!

Watching Stars Burn and Fall

So today I want to explore just why it is that the media i.e newspapers love to see a celebrity become addicted and fall and burn.  You see it so often they love to report it and show the grim photographs, shouldn't they instead be appealing that these people need help fast before they risk there lives.  Why is it such good news to see people in a state and suffering, why is it entertainment to see this happen, we love to see these rich and famous suffer don’t we for our own amusement, its the same as ‘Im a celebrity get me out of here’ we love to see the horrible suffering of these guys don’t we.

But I can’t help but feel that when all the media is report stars in the mist of addiction and in a state rather then encourage that instead help is needed, the message being sent out is more negative then positive.  Its like ha ha look at the state this person is in, what a shame, how amusing!, were it should be more of case of, ok this person is clearly struggling with this, if you also have problems realise it and get help here etc.  

Also when you see a celebrity in the paper in the mist of a binge of some sort and its in the paper is there not a piece of the mind that just assumes this is the rock and roll life style and encourages more youngsters to do it to be like there idols?

I don’t know, all i do know is that instead of finding it amusing and news worthy news, we should only report it in terms of raising awareness around addiction and the help available.

Happy Monday

Welcome to Monday blog post, first of all check out this video bugging up the guys who helped me!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9ho0pdQEDk

So its Monday, its a new week and to be honest I'm still on a major buzz from Saturday, it was such an incredible day with a mass showing of people in unity against addiction.  I read a banner that rings so true ‘Together we can Recover’

So what does this week hold?, well I’ve been at Recovery in Rugby today for a coffee morning and whilst sat here i messed around and made the film.  Tonight I start college which will be every Monday and Tuesday morning.  What else this week, ok so i’ve got a few phone calls lined up with various recovery charities and people with a scope to all pulling together and making that difference.  I also have a load of emails I want to send off to make some noise, create some awareness and make some sort of difference hopefully.  Then on Thursday I have been invited to a conference event in Coventry which Im very excited about, will be a good networking chance and there are some very useful people doing talks etc at this event, oh and a free buffet.........will I be there?? buffet you say??? COUNT ME IN!! lol

The aim of the coffee morning at The Recovery Partnership in Rugby was to get service users and others signed up to the groups that are run here for

- Understanding Substance Misuse
- Harm Reduction
- Alcohol Awareness
- Self Build

There wasn’t many people attended this morning to be honest and its now a question of how can I play my part to help them get more service users through the door and into groups.  Ideas are a buzzin and i will write down some soon

VIDEO of Recovery Walk 2015!!! Check it OUT!!

Here is the link to the video of todays Recovery Walk in Durham, check it out its fantastic!!

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1657776307801142&pnref=story

from karl

'The National Recovery Walk 2015 Durham' AMAZING DAY, WOW!!!

SO today I travelled with recovery communities from Rugby, Coventry and Leicester to Durham for 'The National Recovery Walk 2015 Durham'.  It was a long journey up there, I left Rugby at 6:30am, got on the coach at Coventry which departed there at about 7:45am/8am, we then did a pick up in Leicester and hit the road, arriving in Durham in 12:30.  Durham is a beautiful little typical Northern town i.e on a hill,cobbled street, picturesque etc.

I didn't know quite what to expect when we got there but what we did find was overwhelming, there was thousands of using marching through the town, colourful, loud, marching band, whistle blowing awareness making noise! it was incredible to be a part of it as we marched through the town.

The Walk ended at a park where there was a series of stalls and stands, refreshments and a stage with live music etc, it was like a mini festival, truly amazing atmosphere.

We left Durham at about 4pm and got back to Coventry at about 8:30pm.  I loved every second of it, see the pics and vids below xxx