Tosh’s Story

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This is a brief account of Tosh’s relationship with drugs. It’s frank and told in his own words.  Thank you, Tosh, for allowing us to share your story with the wider community and showing that a life without drugs is possible, even for those who never thought it was.

As far back as I can remember, I’ve always been a bad kid. I know there was a time I was happy and normal but that was too long ago. I had an unhappy childhood, I was the second child of five. Dad was a pisshead. I’m really not sure of the why but being unhappy must have played its part…

Toshs Story

Recovery Community Giving Back to Life Saving Hospital Ward

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TBRP staff, past and present clients, members of our recovery communities and friends and relatives are all getting behind an event to help raise vital funds for Ward 17 at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary.  We hope you will too!

Rallying the recovery communities of Calderdale in Recovery and Kirklees in Recovery is Fiona Whitehead who, at one point, was given just hours to live. Fiona considers herself lucky and due to the professionalism and quick thinking of the staff at Ward 17, she is still here and able to say thanks by helping in their campaign.  Ward 17 are trying to raise a massive £20,000 for vital life equipment.

See how you can help …

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Thank you to our community 2018

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TBRP Happy New Year 2019 message envelope graphic

Each year, we send a letter to the Halifax Courier asking them to thank our communities for their support throughout the previous year. Here is a copy of the letter for 2018.

Dear Editor

It’s the time of year that many of us reflect on the year passing, and look forward to what’s in store for the new year. It’s also a time that we at The Basement Recovery Project (TBRP) say thank you to all those who have helped us over the last 12 months to support people who are affected by the illness of addiction.

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From no hope, isolation and loneliness to The Great North Run!

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18 months of training with a group of 10 very motivated and hard working runners. All from disadvantaged backgrounds. One fantastic trainer, ex-professional international rugby player, Damian Gibson (DG Ozfit), who was actually one of this year’s local heroes. As a team, we were privileged enough to represent the “Home Run Project” team in the promotional video which was partly aired on the BBC.

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#Alcohol Awareness Week 2018

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Every day, 20 people die as a result of their drinking. But alcohol harm is not inevitable. This Alcohol Awareness Week communities across the country call for change. Find us at Halifax market all week and at Todmorden market on Thursday.

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CiR – TBRP 3-Peak Challenge

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…this was an enduring but enjoyable and memorable experience. And all for a very worthy cause, The Hull and West Yorkshire Interstitial Lung Disease Service where my dad is being treated. It wouldn’t have been possible without the help of CIR and a big thanks to Michelle Hanley for the use of the Basement Project’s van!

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Allen’s Story

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image of Allen from The Basement Recovery Project

If you have been watching Grayson Perry’s ‘Rites of Passage’ on Channel 4, you may have seen Allen featured in episode 4 ‘Coming of Age’.  The programme didn’t have time to explore why people ended up at The Basement Recovery Project and focused on the celebration of recovery.  Allen’s account of his relationship with alcohol is raw, unedited and told in his own words. Thank you, Allen, for allowing us to share your story with the wider community.

Grayson Perry explores coming of age which starts with his visit to the Amazon where he witnesses the Tikuna people celebrate the transition of two girls to adulthood. Thankfully, we don’t do that here and he’s not suggesting we do, but he does think we can take something from it.  He’s even more convinced after talking to London teens and people in recovery at The Basement Project (who he describes as “kidults”) – older people who can’t take responsibility for themselves or their lives.  He sees both groups as reaching the end of one stage of their life and beginning another and wants to mark that in a celebration, something we don’t do enough of in recovery circles.

Allens Story

 

Fiona’s Story

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If you have been watching Grayson Perry’s ‘Rites of Passage’ on Channel 4, you may have seen Fiona featured in episode 4 ‘Coming of Age’.

In this episode, Grayson explores coming of age which starts with his visit to the Amazon where he witnesses the Tikuna people celebrate the transition of two girls to adulthood. Thankfully, we don’t do that here and he’s not suggesting we do, but he does think we can take something from it.  He’s even more convinced after talking to London teens and people in recovery at The Basement Project (who he describes as “kidults”) – older people who can’t take responsibility for themselves or their lives.  He sees both groups as reaching the end of one stage of their life and beginning another and wants to mark that in a celebration, something we don’t do enough of in recovery circles.

Fiona’s story briefly touches on the struggles and consequences of addiction and you’ll see why we need to celebrate when we ‘come out the other side’.

Fionas Story

 

Oh we do like to be beside the …

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A Big, Big Thank you from us, David and Brenda for our enjoyable day trip to Whitby.

Despite the delays on our outbound journey, we had an amazing, non-eventful and fast journey home.

We cannot ever remember seeing as many people in a resort before, quite a contrast to our time there in January! The fact it was annual Regatta Day and the weather was good compensated.

Embarrassing to say negotiating the wall to wall people and the cobbles made us really recognise our ages, Darby and Joan! Our Boat Trip outside the Harbour was recorded on camera, thank you, Gina. Over lunchtime, we found a fishery recommended by Trip Advisor. Both of us voted they were the best fish and chips we’d eaten in years.

We cannot thank the Basement staff enough for the amazing help and the funding which gives such hope to those who have almost lost hope for recovery in Halifax, Huddersfield and Dewsbury, and for everything they have done and do for the families.

David & Brenda

David and Brenda on board with the Basement Recovery Project in Whitby

 

Slow the Flow – It’s not about drugs – but then again, it is.

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Hi, I’m a volunteer/client with The Basement Recovery Project and have been for two months now.  When I first moved into Halifax and started getting help from TBRP, I was broken.  I was broken physically, emotionally and financially and I’d been a huge problem to my community for many years, sucking the life out of the system and services.

Going through the TBRP programme, something had “clicked”.  Something has changed this time. I no longer wanted to be a leech to society and wanted to give back.  I was quickly introduced to Kev, one of the Basement Recovery Builders and I have to say, what an inspiration he is.  We are now really good friends. Kev talked about volunteering with an organisation called Slow the Flow, which helps slow the waters of mother nature.  Last year, if you remember, many areas around Rochdale, Hebden Bridge, Todmorden etc suffered life-changing floods due to heavy rain. Their plan was to build fashionable but purposeful means to slow the flow of rainwater into the local drainage systems and came up with such a great idea (rain garden planters) that I wanted to help.

Me, Kev and two other friends went down and got stuck in. Following a few firsts, like working hard and working for free, I had the opportunity to meet the Mayor of Hebden Royd Town Council, Councillor Carol Stow who officially ‘opened’ the planters with a bit of a party and ceremony. It was the first time in my life that I had met a public figure not only for the right reasons, but to be recognised for all the hard work we did, as a team, together.

I explained what the idea was and how we quickly got down to business. I told Councillor Stow about the sense of pride and happiness felt by a man that, months earlier, couldn’t stop stealing and taking drugs to now being clean and doing stuff for nothing. Getting involved in a project like this not only helps to stop the rainwater, but it helps to stop the madness surrounding active addiction, it’s beyond priceless and I look forward to getting involved in more volunteering work.

Sincerely,

Joe D.

It is easy to feel complacent in this beautiful summer of hot, dry weather – but heavy rainfall now could easily result in surface water flooding, as hard, dry ground sheds water more easily to the drains. For inspiration on the many ways to help Slow The Flow in urban areas, please visit our ‘You Can Slow The Flow’ pages: http://slowtheflow.net/you-can-slow-the-flow/