A GROUP of people battling addictions will perform in Dumbarton next month as they celebrate a major achievement in their recovery journey.
The participants, who all attend Creative Change Collective’s Recovering Voices programme in the town, will host a special script reading event at Denny Civic Theatre on May 9.
They have been taking part in the charity’s 12-week project, which is designed to support people in their recovery and will culminate in the on-stage performance.
It will be followed by a discussion and question and answer session, and friends, family and members of the local community are invited to attend for free.
The Dumbarton group’s performance will also be an opportunity for participants to celebrate their individual and group achievements with loved ones.
Recovering Voices was devised by Creative Change Collective project director Mark MacNicol, a writer and film director who lost his brother Jason, 30, to a heroin overdose 15 years ago.
Mark said: “We were delighted to roll our Recovering Voices programme out in Dumbarton this year following the programme’s success in Glasgow.
“The sessions are designed to support people in their recovery through drama therapy-type activities.
“They use our unique anonymous drama model which we have found allows people to express themselves fully and can be less emotionally triggering.
“We would love it if members of the local community were to join us at the event, which will be a real celebration of all of our participants’ achievements.
“I have been working with Creative Change Collective, formerly Street Cones, for a few years - mostly in the justice space - and have seen the incredible results which we want to keep building on.”
Participants in West Dunbartonshire are all in either residential recovery at Safe as Houses in Clydebank or have been working with the community-based Alternatives project.
The programme is funded by the Scottish Government through the Corra Foundation and is also available to those in the recovery community in Glasgow, Saltcoats and Erskine.
READ MORE: Addiction recovery programme to be rolled out in Dumbarton
Creative Change Collective, formerly Street Cones, uses film and theatre-type activities to help those on the charity’s programmes achieve more positive outcomes in their lives.
The sessions use a unique ‘anonymous drama’ model where participants only use first names and do not reveal which parts of their story are fiction or real life.
Most of Creative Change Collective’s work since starting in 2014 has focussed on adults and young people in or at risk of entering the justice system.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here