Special guests, unique shares, and an abundance of Lived Experience, as a celebration of recovery in Darlington took place in the heart of the town centre. Organised by managers of the new service, Tracy Dixon and Michelle Burns, plus team members Tom Dale and Jennifer Armstrong, the event was attended by dozens of people from recovery services, public services, and more.
Kayleigh Gamblin and Gary Besterfield, of the local We Are With You service, joined hosts Tracy, Michelle, and Dot Smith, while Kelly and Phil, people who have worked with the service, shared their experience of Recovery in the town. Gary Lynch, who has long worked in drug and alcohol recovery services in the North East, also shared his story, alongside our Communications Lead, Simon.
But it was the presence of Vice Lord Lieutenant, Michael Poole, and Darlington’s Deputy Mayor of the Council, Bob Donahue, which truly demonstrated the impact recovery could come to have on the town. Michael Poole was kind enough to speak to the audience, before the morning ended in true Recovery Connections fashion – with a good singalong – and he was evidently moved by the stories he had heard throughout the morning.
And this sort of reaction is further proof that people are developing a deeper understanding of recovery, and what it means not just for individuals, but for communities, too. The stories we write, and support others to create, every day, are motivating more and more people in the region to get behind the work of Recovery Connections, and other members of the STRIDE Partnership.
