Recovery Voices

03/09/2026

North Wales Recovery Communities have been ‘feeding’ the community ‘petri dish’ with charismatic Recovery Carriers. Each one of these individuals is helping change the lives of other people in the wider community, both in terms of the present, but also the future. They are creating a ripple effect of recovery.

North Wales Recovery Communities have been ‘feeding’ the community ‘petri dish’ with charismatic Recovery Carriers. Each one of these individuals is helping change the lives of other people in the wider community, both in terms of the present, but also the future.

25/08/2026

The environment and people at Penrhyn House are geared up to help new residents feel safe and have the belief that they are in the right place. New residents enter a place with others like themselves, who understand them and the world from which they have come. A place where they are accepted and find hope, and where magic happens. And magic certainly happened to Lee Daly when he met Saffron Roberts and heard her story during his first visit to Penrhyn House.

The environment and people at Penrhyn are geared up to help new residents feel safe and have the belief that they are in the right place. New residents enter a place with others like themselves, who understand them and the world from which they have come. A place where they are accepted and find hop...

24/08/2026

Traumatic, or long-term, unpredictable stressful experiences, lead to a sensitisation of the body’s stress response systems such that they become hyper-vigilant or hyper-reactive in the future. The latter states may lead to further problems for the person, including being re-traumatised by another event or person—including health care practitioners, institutions, or systems—due to the person’s sensitised stress response system.

Traumatic, or long-term, unpredictable stressful experiences, lead to a sensitisation of the body’s stress response systems such that they become hyper-vigilant or hyper-reactive in the future. The latter states may lead to further problems for the person, including being...

19/08/2026

In trying to understand the nature of trauma, we need to look at three different components. Firstly, the Event (or events) itself. Secondly, the Experience of the event—whether it is physically or emotionally harmful, or life-threatening. Thirdly, the adverse Effects on functioning the event creates, be they mental, physical, social, emotional, or spiritual.

In trying to understand the nature of trauma, we need to look at three different components. Firstly, the Event (or events) itself. Secondly, the Experience of the event—whether it is physically or emotionally harmful, or life-threatening. Thirdly, the adverse Effects on functioning...

17/08/2026

The founder of North Wales Recovery Communities has the following to say about developing a recovery community. ‘You've got to approach this from a humble point of view, that you don't know everything. That you’ve just got this idea for how it should be, but you've got to be prepared to adapt and switch with the demands of what the community wants, and everything that comes with that.'

‘You've got to approach this from a humble point of view, that you don't know everything. That you’ve just got this idea for how it should be, but you've got to be prepared to adapt and switch with the demands of what the community wants, and everything that comes with that.'

08/08/2026

Flipped It!: A Film That Changed Lives, Part 2
’All the fear, all the anxiety, all the pain left me. The emotions were still there, I was still raw, I was still crying. I was still coming to terms with the person I was, the person I was becoming, but all the pain had gone.'

’All the fear, all the anxiety, all the pain left me. The emotions were still there, I was still raw, I was still crying. I was still coming to terms with the person I was, the person I was becoming, but all the pain had gone.'

07/08/2026

Flipped It!: A Film That Changed Lives, Part 1
Nick explains that ‘through his life, one pain-in-the-backside officer, Alec Owen,’ an inspector with Merseyside police, never gave up on him. Whenever he was arrested, Alec turned up to see him, just wanting to help him.

Nick explains that ‘through his life, one pain-in-the-backside officer, Alec Owen,’ an inspector with Merseyside police, never gave up on him. Whenever he was arrested, Alec turned up to see him, just wanting to help him.

07/08/2026

Premiere of ‘Flipped It!’: Marcus Fair MBE Story, Part 7.. people were standing and cheering when someone was being interviewed. Every now and again there was a standing ovation. People were laughing and crying throughout. At the end of the film, the place erupted.

... people were standing and cheering when someone was being interviewed. Every now and again there was a standing ovation. People were laughing and crying throughout. At the end of the film, the place erupted.

07/08/2026

Making ‘Flipped It!’: Marcus Fair MBE Story, Part 6
So, I had to find as actors, the worst of the worst who had turned their lives around. Luckily, I had friends in low places. I also had to deal with my film crew of three police officers, who were not happy being seconded to an addict, and had initially turned up prickly and in uniform.

So, I had to find as actors, the worst of the worst who had turned their lives around. Luckily, I had friends in low places. I also had to deal with my film crew of three police officers, who were not happy being seconded to...

04/08/2026

Thawing Out Police Officers: Marcus Fair MBE Story, Part 5
He then asked me what I needed, not knowing that I was straight out of a rehab and had no filmmaking gear at all. I requested the police film crew with whom I would work. I’d make a police training film whilst teaching his crew with whom I would work.