People with a background of addiction need support to find more positive projects to spend their time on.

Many of the people we support have never experienced camping or outdoor activities. To help with their long term recovery, a fishing trip was planned to help a group of hostel residents to work together, grow as individuals, and spend some time away from the scheme.

Staff members and five of the residents travelled to a campsite in Cheshire and followed a camp cooking and cleaning rota which improved their communication skills and confidence.

They also learned to care for the environment and wildlife, and had the option to join a fishing club at the end of the weekend.

The fishing went well, spurred on by some friendly competition. Dean won the contest for biggest fish with a 7lb carp. Brad caught the most fish in total, while Chris, Paul, and Sean all caught five different species each, so everyone was a winner.

Dean said “Catching the carp made my weekend! I have my enthusiasm for fishing back. Having a laugh with the lads was great too. I’m going to keep this up. Thanks for the new release of life [sic].”

Brad said “I have never fished before. Catching my first fish was great: I felt like a kid in a sweet shop!”

Sean said “I had a great weekend. I was looking forward to it all week. I was a kid again. The peace and quiet of area was amazing. Catching fish, and having banter with the lads, has helped me build my confidence. I am going to join the club!”

The weekend was a huge success. A support worker commented that they had all gained something different from the experience, have a new zest for life, and are more confident and self-aware.

Their accomplishments also convinced others at the scheme to be more enthusiastic about trying new experiences, and rekindling hobbies they had lost through addiction.

Paul said “That was some weekend, I haven’t been fishing since I was a kid. It brought back some brilliant memories. I’m going to take my son fishing.”

Dean and Sean have since joined the fishing club, while Paul, true to his word, has been taking his son fishing at the weekends to build their relationship.