Happy “start of another week”.
One of the best things about running this blog is the almost never-ending supply of “feel good” stuff we get sent, or find out about.
And today is no exception!
Potty About Recovery is an initiative set up by two lovely peeps at 5Ways, our recovery home-from-home. Service user, Ben and Volunteer Lucy are on a mission to raise funds for a new pizza oven that we can all enjoy on the terrace in this beautiful weather.
The pots are all hand-crafted by Ben, whose story is below – all are unique and represent a tangible sense of recovery, and what is possible in groups of like-minded and supportive people.
It seems like a no brainer to me: get yourself a pot, plant a seed of recovery, watch it grow… and pop down for a slice of pizza.
Nice one guys! Good luck!
If you’d like to support Ben & Lucy, the details are at the bottom of the post!
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Ben’s Story.
Despite success in rehabilitation and residential detoxing, I relapsed. I knew that the months it would take to get back into rehabilitation would undermine all my hard work in my recovery journey.
Yet I desperately needed the total, de-stigmatised support rehab offered.
5 Ways Recovery Hub (in Leeds)instead offered so much more.
Completely free, friendly and fabulous; a recovery service that offered total support as soon as possible, in a more relaxed environment than rehab. The service offers diverse range of sessions for any user, such as mutual support groups, craft workshops and dance lessons.
Although it may not be perfect for every single person struggling with addiction, it was perfect for teaching me how to cope and build my confidence.
People in recovery say 5 WAYS is a magical space where they can be themselves, be around like-minded people and have the opportunity to grow and enhance their skills.
Because of my experience, I decided to start fundraising for my recovery hub to say thank you to Janine Hopkin and the amazing staff at the 5 Ways service – from the manager to the cleaner- for enabling my recovery journey, by hand painting plant pots and selling them with the help of other service users.
I chose plant pots as I think that they are a perfect metaphor for the recovery journey.
No two of my plant pots are painted completely the same, in a way that represents how every individual’s recovery journey is different. Yet once you plant a seed of recovery, you can watch a whole garden grow.
Recovery is not one blossom in our lives but an entire garden.
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If you want to support Ben and 5 WAYS, by getting your very own individually crafted pot, don’t hesitate to contact us on: 0113 887 2749.
Or you can email Lucy, who can help you out!