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With the World Cup kicking off in just three day's time, the Hull Community Safety Partnership is launching a campaign - Enjoy the Match - to encourage people in Hull to enjoy sporting events sensibly this summer. Humberside Fire and Rescue, Humberside Police, Hull Council Environmental Health, Hull Domestic Abuse Partnership, Yorkshire Ambulance Service, Street Angels and Street Marshalls are all involved in the campaign to provide advice on how to have an enjoyable but safe time watching sporting events. The campaign will be launched at the KC Stadium and is supported by Hull Purple Flag and the Drink Less 2014 initiative. Drink Less 2014 gives people information on how cutting back a little on alcohol can have positive effects on their health and wellbeing. Source
WITH summer approaching, parents of teenagers may be fearful about their children heading off testing their independence on holidays abroad. With TV shows highlighting the wild behaviour of some young Brits overseas, including binge-drinking, drugs and teenage hysteria, some may wonder if their offspring will come back in one piece. But an initiative from an ex-pat Scot in Magaluf means young people heading to that resort at least will have a bit more protection this year. Cameron Springthorpe, a native of Ardfern in Argyll, knows headlines in the UK offer regular cautionary tales about young British and Irish revellers falling from balconies, being robbed and assaulted on beaches or becoming victims of street prostitutes, who lure boys into alleyways and rob them. It's like the TV show, Sun Sex and Suspicious Parents, in action, except the parents aren't there. So local town police, Guardia Civil, the British Consulate, and local ambulance crews, all brace themselves for the invasion of young holidaymakers, many of whom end up penniless, without a passport and, in extreme cases, badly injured or even dead, he says. That's why Mr Springthorpe, who now lives on Majorca with his wife, founded the Street Angels, a group of 18 committed Christians, who are taking to the night-time streets of Magaluf this summer, to help vulnerable young people stay safe. "We took the idea from the Street Pastors in Glasgow and Street Angels elsewhere in the UK, and decided to adapt it for Magaluf," he explains. "Last year, we had a trial run in Santa Ponca, and it was successful. This year, we have the full backing and co-operation on the local police, regional Guardia Civil, and British Consulate, and are putting the lessons we learned into action." The Street Angels all live on Majorca and come from different backgrounds and nationalities. They completed personal safety, conflict resolution and assault avoidance training, thanks to Glasgow-based Mike Greville, a director of personal safety training provider SALVAS, who travelled to the holiday island in April. Mr Greville said: "Our company provides similar training to staff and volunteers at Glasgow City Mission Night Shelter, and to various groups of workers who interact with the public on the street, such as community wardens. Cameron got in touch with me to discuss the Street Angels' needs, such as how to move through the sort of inebriated crowds you find at 3am on the streets of Magaluf." The training left the Angels better equipped to help young people who are often dangerously drunk, disorientated, unable to say what hotel they are staying at or have lost their friends. "That's when they become vulnerable," explained Cameron. "We're able to step in, reunite them with their friends, call a free ambulance or contact the police, and generally get them off the street and into safety. Alcohol abuse is the main problem, and most of the balcony deaths are caused by drunk young people trying to climb from one balcony to another, so we try to help keep people safe by getting them back to their hotels before they become incapable." Now the group are appealing to the travel trade to allow them to distribute safety leaflets to young people flying into Majorca, warning of the pitfalls that may await them, and letting them know the Angels are there for them. They're also on the lookout for a sponsor to help pay for a street-spec golf buggy to help them get vulnerable youngsters off the streets faster. Mr Greville said "In many ways, Magaluf by night is a war zone," and indeed as the newly-trained Angels stepped on to the street at the end of their last training session, they stumbled over a body in the gutter, despite it still being just late afternoon. "It turned out that it was a lad on holiday from Northern Ireland. He had lost his pals the night before, after getting drunk, and had been robbed by local thieves," said Greville adds. "He was relieved to hear sympathetic voices talking in English, and I left my trainees to get to him to his hotel, sort out an emergency passport and whatever else was necessary. That's why we need the Street Angels, to save youngsters like him from themselves." Paul and Jean Blakey visited some of the projects in the South of England. Starting in Teignmouth and Dawlish in Devon they went out on the first Nightshift patrol in the town and spoke on Sunday at Teignmouth Baptist Church and then commissioned the project and volunteers in the afternoon: The next visit was to Boscombe in Dorset where they spent an evening with the Boscombe Angels volunteers sharing about the wider work of CNI Network and hearing of the great things achieved locally. The following day Paul and Jean caught up with Mike French and Rachel Young in Bournemouth where they are working in a nightclub venue to run Christian based night events, chaplaincy work, street patrols and a community hub. On Saturday Paul and Jean were guests at Woking Street Angels Summer Ball event where 150 guests enjoyed an evening at Brooklands Motor Museum with good food, wine, various talks, auction, raffle and opportunity to thank the Street Angels for the work they do. Paul shared about the work of CNI Network and prayed for those out on the streets that night.
On Sunday Paul and Jean attended the Aylesbury Street Angels celebration event where the work of Street Angels and Town Centre Chaplaincy was celebrated with civic guests from the town and region. Krish Kandiah from the Evangelical Alliance spoke along with Paul from CNI Network and Mark from Town Centre Chaplaincy. Source
Unsung heroes who make a huge difference to the lives of people in Stockton were recognised at a award ceremony. The Catalyst Achievement Awards took place today to shine the spotlight on the borough’s community stalwarts and pay tribute to their hard work and dedication. Community group of the year went to Stockton Town Pastors. The charitable volunteer initiative provides a caring presence on the streets of Stockton on Friday and Saturday nights when members of the public may become vulnerable and in need of help. Norton autism charity Daisy Chain scooped the innovation, partnership and enterprise award given to organisations that have found new ways of working to deliver services to people. Other award winners included Nur Fitness which won the biggest health impact award, Wolviston Court Community Centre which was given the community spaces award and the Over 50’s Assembly which scooped the voice and influence award. The fifth annual Catalyst Achievement Awards took place at Wynyard park in Billingham. It saw more than 150 people from the voluntary and community sector come together to champion the work of individuals and not-for-profit organisations. Steve Rose, chief executive at Catalyst, said “I look forward to the Catalyst Achievement Awards every year. It is both a fun and important part of Catalyst’s work. “We need to make sure that vital voluntary work in the third sector doesn’t go unheard and that the passionate, hardworking and inspiring people in the borough have their efforts recognised.” Other awards were volunteer in the arts, given to Radio Stitch Volunteers, volunteer in sport awarded to Chris Carter and Graham White and trustee of the year, won by Stuart Cornwell. Young volunteer of the year was Jodie Cuthbert, volunteer of the year went to Gillian Restall and the outstanding achievement award went to Kevin Pitt from Billingham Environmental Link Programme. Beyond the Streets Network 'Beyond Barriers: Seeing the bigger picture'
Conference 3rd - 5th October, Hothorpe Hall, Leicestershire Hothorpe Hall, Leicestershire See here for information and booking form CNI Network is a grass-root movement that supports, resources and celebrates those making the difference in local communities. It is great that as a network we have people who are prepared to take risks and run with a vision of sharing love in all kinds of places. As well as our street work on weekend evenings you will find our teams: in nightclubs; lap-dancing bars; on beaches; at music festivals; running safe place cafe drop-in's and mobile support units; offering first aid and first aid training; stewarding at community events; delivering alcohol and safety awareness in schools and to young people, offering free massages as a way of connecting with those who work in the night-time economy; offering chaplaincy and pastoral care to many... CNI Network is your network - together we are seeing massive change in the nigh-time of our nations - from binge to better - please stand with us, pray for us, support us and celebrate all that is achieved! Teignmouth and Dawlish NightShift - our newest project will be out for the first time on Saturday 31st May with a launch celebration and commissioning on Sunday 1st June. Paul and Jean will be with them for the weekend and will be commissioning the volunteers and speaking at Teignmouth Baptist Church morning service. Our chair, Trevor Bendrien, visited the team at Ipswich Town Pastors and spent the night meeting the volunteers and hearing of the work they do and about the visit of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Paul and Trevor along with Paul Rawson from Blackpool and the Fylde Street Angels spent two days at the National Street Pastors conference in Manchester. Thoughts were shared on Twitter (search #StreetPastorsConf ) and we will be following up some of the links and blogging ideas and opportunities in the next few weeks. Afternoon Tea at Lambeth Palace - this special afternoon will see the launch of our 20:15:10 celebrations. Although the Archbishop cannot be with us we are inviting special guests to join with us and celebrate all that we do as a network. Details are here. 2015 National Conference - put the 23rd - 25th October 2015 in your diary as this is the date for the CNI Network National Conference. We will be at the amazing venue of Slaley Hall in Northumberland (with transport to/from Newcastle Station and Newcastle Airport) - details of the weekend are here. 24-7 Ibiza - Lucy Hardy, a former volunteer with York Street Angels and Croydon Club Angels, is volunteering for 6 months in Ibiza and part of her role is to offer free massages to female club workers - please pray for Lucy and the 24-7 Ibiza team over the summer along with the team at The Living Room in Tenerife and Street Angels in Majorca. ICE Assist - we have made links with ICE Assist which offers an ICE (In Case of Emergency) app for mobile phones. ICE Assist brings a loud siren, SOS flash, location tracking and SMS messaging together for download on any IOS or Android phone. Just by pressing the panic button it will alert loved ones to your exact location using Google maps. ICE Assist is available for just 99p on Google Play and iStore. This would be a good app to promote on social media, help leaflets, web site and to those helped alongside the YourNight app. Premier Lifeline: the National Christian Helpline number - We are open 9am to midnight every day of the year, on 0300 111 0101. All calls are strictly confidential. This is good information to add to information given out or on web sites. Free car stickers and bookmarks available as well via Premier Marketing Department -www.premier.org.uk/about/contact.aspx From the Blog: New Bishop of Liverpool calls for church to get involved in Street Angels Bolton Street Angels could be homeless within a week / thrown a lifeline! On patrol with York Street Angels - The Telegraph article Soroptimist International of Bolton celebrates 75th anniversary Mallorca Street Angels going strong - EuroNews New look web site for 24-7 Ibiza 7 Things I Learned During My Year Without Alcohol Should York call time on binge drinkers? University York Radio special on river safety (podcast starts automatically). If your project is near water (river, canal, sea, etc) it may be worth asking your local fire service if they can offer throw-line training for your volunteer teams. Stockton Town Pastors May Newsletter From Facebook: Since we launched the minibus we are giving out around 35 pairs of flip flops each weekend. Here is a kind comment from Zoe - 'Thank you so much for the amazing flip flops you gave me when you saw me in bare feet as I couldn't cope another minute in shoes :):) great job' (Blackpool and Fylde Street Angels) Another great weekend in Magaluf! We were able to help 19 vulnerable people (13 males + 6 females) back to a place of safety. We were also able to pray with a young man who realised his need for Jesus and wanted to get his life sorted out That means just this weekend we helped 10% of the total from last season in Santa Ponsa... and it wasn't even busy! (Street Angels Magaluf) Dundee Street Chaplains were stewarding at MoFest in Montrose at one of Scotland's biggest music festivals and Blackpool and the Fylde Street Angels offered stewarding and first aid at Al Fresco Music Festival - photos below! Diary: Sunday 1st June - Paul speaking at Teignmouth Baptist Church, 10.30am and then is part of the commissioning of volunteers at the Teignmouth and Dawlish NightShift launch at Teignmouth Baptist Church, 3pm. Wednesday 4th June - Paul and Jean meeting with Boscombe Street Angels team in Bournemouth and Derek Baker from Arun Angels Saturday 7th June - Paul and Jean attending Woking Street Angels Summer Ball at Brooklands Museum, 6pm onwards Sunday 8th June - Paul and Jean meeting with potential new Street Angels in Buckingham and at 3pm attending Aylesbury Town Chaplaincy and Aylesbury Street Angels Annual Celebration, St Mary's Church, Aylesbury, HP20 2JJ. Tuesday 10th June - Paul speaking at Wakefield Diocese Mothers Union Summer Celebration, 7pm at Birchencliffe, Huddersfield Saturday 21st June - Bridlington Street Angels first anniversary tea and cake event - happy first birthday to the Bridlington team... Monday 30th June - Paul meeting with UCB Media Wednesday 20th - Monday 25th August - Leeds Festival Angels - we have 51 Festival Angels currently registered to cover Lost Property, a Prayer Cafe and detached work. We need to double that number - if this could be you please see the Festival Angels web site. Saturday 18th October - StreetLife gathering for night-time projects in the southern region - more information soon (to be held in Portsmouth). Monday 20th October - Afternoon Tea at Lambeth Palace to launch 20:15:10 - see here for more information and to book (numbers are limited and bookings are coming in fast!) Friday 23rd - Sunday 25th October 2015 - CNI Network National Conference at Slaley Hall, Northumberland - more details here Can you stand with CNI Network financially? Our current funding is set to run out by July / August. We have applied for grants but not yet heard back and our vision is to take on an extra role to develop Club Angels and for admin support / training. Our current funding needs are around £2,000 a month - could you give a monthly amount, could your local project invest into the international picture - together in unity we are making the difference!
Give to CNI Network Our Annual Accounts for 2013/14 A team from Dundee and Montrose are spending May Bank Holiday weekend at MoFest, a 3 day music festival taking place in Montrose, Scotland. The team are offering practical help and support to the thousands of people at the Festival as well as chatting to people about the Christian faith.
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VOLUNTEERS at Bolton Street Angels are searching for a lifeline as they face becoming homeless within a week. The not-for-profit community group will have to leave its town centre base in Churchgate — the former Originals clothes store — by next Tuesday to make way for a new business. The group had only moved into its current base in January after relocating to allow student flats to be built at their former location in Bradshawgate. Adrienne Tonge, from Bolton Street Angels, said: “We won’t be defeated. Volunteers have put 15,000 hours into the work on the streets in the past 12 months up until March. “Moving twice in six months is a huge drain on a voluntary organisation and diminishes the value of the service as the public who would use the Safe Space Cafe think they know where to go when they need help, only to find we have gone.” Street Angels launched in Bolton five years ago and helps town centre vulnerable drinkers to get home safely each Saturday night. About 30 people give up their time to assist hundreds of people during the evening and into the early hours of the morning each year. Estate agent Lamb and Swift, of Chorley New Road, Bolton, has been helping the group in finding a new base by negotiating with agents to allow Street Angels to pay peppercorn rent or a small service charge. But when a tenant is found the volunteers have to uproot. Mrs Tonge said Street Angels is looking for a hub close to the town centre’s nightlife particularly around Bradshawgate, Churchgate, the Bank Street end of Deansgate or Nelson Square. She said: “What we would really like is a modest room that we can occupy on a longer-term basis.” Steve Hoyle, owner of Downtown and the chairman of the pub watch group, is helping to secure a new home for the group by asking pub watch members and bar owners about the available space. Help is also wanted for when the group moves during the bank holiday weekend. The group is also looking for anyone who can provide a van to assist with the move. Anyone who can provide a space for Street Angels between 9.30pm on Saturday nights and 4am on Sunday mornings is urged to call Mrs Tonge on 07538 349686 or email [email protected]. Source
As the Street Angels give advice to students about keeping safe at night, Neil Johnston joins them in York on one of their nightly patrols of the city “I do believe our presence on the street really does make a difference.” These are the words of Dick Syms, the chairman of York Street Angels, a voluntary group which helps the vulnerable late at night in York. Dick, 73, and two other Angels, Laura 26, and Jacqui 44, have had an eventful night. They are part of a group of 50 who do this regularly, including some students from the two universities in the city. They are just one of a network of groups like this across the country, with the Street Angels also operating in larger cities such as Leeds and Newcastle In York, the appreciation for the group among late night revellers is clear. “Are you the Street Angels, I really appreciate what you do,” says one. “You’re brilliant, it’s amazing that you do this voluntarily,” says another. The work the Angels do varies from the simple but extremely popular idea of handing out flip-flops to girls carrying their heels, to helping those who have lost control due to alcohol. York has been shaken by tragedies in recent months with the river deaths of students Megan Roberts and Ben Clarkson, and, more recently, soldier Tyler Pearson whose body was discovered in April. The Angels know all too well the dangers of the river. Dick explains how he recently spoke to two young girls who were wandering unsteadily near the water's edge, while Laura has seen tragedy unfold first hand: “Two years ago there was someone who fell in [the river] after walking along the bridge parapet. His friends jumped in to save him. They survived, but unfortunately he was too far out and his body was found the next day. "The ambulances got there in three minutes, but it was three minutes too late. I had to sit out of Street Angels for a bit after that.” Laura, who is the longest serving of the three Angels, adds: “We are not able to help everyone, but what we do makes a big difference to those who we can.” The recent tragedies have reignited debate over river safety and at a recent meeting with Julia Mulligan, the Police and Crime Commissioner, numerous options were discussed. For the Street Angels, two issues that are important are CCTV and better lighting around “hotspot” areas at the river. Additionally, the Angels are giving advice to the students’ unions at both York St John University and the University of York. The unions are setting up similar operations to the Street Angels on midweek student nights, educating university students about the dangers of the river and about keeping safe at night. However, Laura also suggests that part of the issue is who people choose to go out with: “People can often get left on their own when they are out with people who they don’t really know, rather than a close-knit set of friends.” On their Friday night patrol – which I joined them for – the first person they meet is a long-term homeless man, with a girl who is just 17 and has been out on her own for two years on and off. The Angels provide comfort and water and check that they have somewhere to stay for the night. Next, they are approached by a young women from Scarborough. She is out on the streets for the first time since leaving her home. She has nowhere to stay and, unfortunately, it is too late to find a place at the shelter. The Angels do what they can and provide her with foil blankets. At around midnight, the volunteers head to a bar where they are directed to an alleyway where a man is unconscious. This is a more serious incident and Laura rings an ambulance, later saying that it's only the third time she has had to do so in five years. This proves to be the most serious situation of the night, and the Angels assist more revellers with bottles of water, helping them up, or even just giving directions home. For the Angels, it has been a successful shift: they have potentially saved a life and helped many others enjoy their night out. Tomorrow, another group of Angels will do this all over again. Their help will not go unnoticed. Neil Johnston is a third year Politics student at the University of York @neiljohnston29 ![]() Source A BOLTON women’s organisation has been celebrating its 75th anniversary by raising hundreds of pounds for charities at home and abroad. Soroptimist International of Bolton has supported many charitable groups and campaigns over the years, and during this special year. The current president, Cynthia Schofield, decided to concentrate on raising funds for Bolton Street Angels, who take care of town centre late-night revellers. As a result, over the last 12 months, a coffee club met in members’ homes and this, along with a concert with the Ladybridge Singers, allowed the organisation to raise £1,450 for Street Angels. The group’s regular charities have also benefited. Members have have donated £1,256 to Fortalice, Bolton Hospice, BRASS, Fair Trade, Salford News Talk, NW Air Ambulance and Water Aid. Spokeswoman Jean Mort said: “I would like to encourage any woman to join us for fun, friendship and to make a difference to our world.” l To find out more about Soroptimists in Bolton email [email protected] Source
Street Angels was launched about eight years ago and they are now in over 120 towns and cities across the UK. They are made up of groups of volunteers, mainly Christians from local churches, who want to make a difference in their communities. They do this in a very practical way, by caring for vulnerable people during the night. This might be helping people back to a place of safety like their hotels or homes, administering basic first aid or warning people of risks. Since starting in the UK they have seen a massive reduction in violent crime, often over 50%, in the towns where they are working and have been honoured with numerous awards for their work. Street Angels Spain, now starting in Magaluf, is the first adaptation of the concept here in Spain, and after a very successful trial season in Santa Ponsa they are ready to play their part in making the town a safer place. This year they have the support of the Guardia Civil, Local Police and the British consulate which they are hoping will lead to a more 'joined up' thinking about the problems in Magaluf. Their team has now completed most of the training sessions which have covered, among other things, personal safety, conflict resolution and first aid. They will be out from 4am to 8am every weekend morning and hope to increase the days they can cover although that depends on getting more volunteers. They are still looking for sponsorship and support as they are trying to purchase a road legal golf buggy which will enable them to help people back to their hotels which was a big part of their work last year; getting people back to their beds is a simple way of reducing theft and violence towards them. If you are interested in supporting them, or want to become a volunteer, then please contact them through their website: www.streetangels.es or facebook/StreetAngelsSpain An interesting article worth blogging here as it will be useful for local projects as we help folks and for those thinking about the amount of alcohol they drink... Source Wow, I can't even believe I'm typing this! If you're reading this, it's because I made it. I made it to one full year without alcohol. On May 6, 2013, I took my last drink. I will never forget how it felt. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. I was tired of being the party girl, I was tired of feeling like sh*t, I was tired of disappointing and embarrassing my friends and loved ones. I decided I needed a big change. Trying to drink in moderation hadn't proved to be the best option for me. It never worked. Enough was enough. I tried something that I never did before -- stopped drinking alcohol completely. When I started this sober journey, I wasn't sure how long it would last, and now I can't imagine going back to how my life was before. The positives have been plentiful and the negatives have been slim to none. Sobriety: Before and after. On the left, a peak drinking time. On the right, a few weeks ago, almost one year sober.
Here's what I've learned in my one year sans alcohol: 1. My senses are heightened x100. Wow, I feel everything with a noticeable heightened sensitivity. This includes emotions, muscle pain, my sense of smell, hearing and taste. My nose is so sensitive to smells, I am ALWAYS saying "it smells like ___ in here," or whoa, it smells SO strong. My emotions are crazy, sometimes I think this is what it must feel like to be pregnant. I cry at the drop of a hat, I'm offended easily and sometimes I am so happy I feel like I'm going to burst. I actually care what people think about me. I know those of you who know me are now saying, Who are you and what have you done with Kelly? This 'feeling everything' thing can be extremely overwhelming at times, but I've never felt something so amazing. 2. I'm just beginning to understand who I really am. I've been learning that there are things I thought I liked that I really don't like and things I like that I never knew I did. I'm learning how to socialize and be myself with friends and family without the crutch of alcohol. I learned that waking up on the weekend without a hangover, having a cup of coffee and going for a run is exactly what I want to be doing. I'm learning that person who was under the cloud of constant alcohol blackouts for the last several years was not me. I am not the stupid, embarrassing things I did; I am a real person who does not mix well with alcohol. 3. Alcohol was not fun for me anymore. I had been trying and failing for years to regulate my drinking. I'm only going to drink two, OK three, just on the weekends. It never worked and I finally figured out why -- I'm not a person who can ingest alcohol. It started out as a fun, social thing for me years ago, but last year, I realized that it wasn't fun anymore. In fact, it was the root of any type of problem I had. Bad things happened to me when I drank and I should have wanted to stop sooner than I did. 4. My life is manageable. When actively drinking, my life was a hot mess and I was comfortable that way. I fought through the scary first days and months of not drinking and now, being sober is my normal. I'm so glad it is. Bad things would happen in the past and I always felt like it was the end of the world and drinking was the answer to everything. Now, I feel more prepared; if something bad were to happen, I am able to handle it in a healthy way. Additionally, less bad things have happened since I stopped drinking alcohol, which was the cause of many problems in the past. I am now present and thankful for each day. 5. I am worthy of love. I'm positive I have been sabotaging my romantic relationships for a long time. Why? Now that might take years to find out, but the drinking just helped fuel this problem. It supported, encouraged and justified bad decisions of all kinds, especially those related to men. What I didn't realize until the drinking stopped was that I am capable of being in a normal relationship and I do in fact, deserve to be loved. You see, I had this way of thinking that since I was f*cked up, I was meant to be in a f*cked up relationship. Now I know that is crazy talk. I am lucky enough to be in a loving, healthy relationship with an amazing man who has helped show me that I deserve all the love in the world and I am finally starting to believe him. 6. Toxic people are just like toxic habits. This is a big one for me. Obviously, when you stop drinking or doing drugs, you probably need to change some friends you hang out with. I definitely had to do this, and I realized just how little I had in common with some people. I also realized that I had friends who were completely different from me, without the same goals and outlook on life. It felt all too fake. When you make a big life decision like admitting you have an alcohol problem and decide to stop drinking, you really find out who your true friends are. There are those people who will love you unconditionally, those who won't bat an eyelash when you stop drinking and those who will still offer you cocktails after they already know you don't drink. I've encountered all of the above. Getting rid of my toxic friendships along with my toxic habits just makes sense, and I'm learning not to feel bad about it. 7. I'm not perfect, and that's OK. Stopping a nasty habit like alcohol abuse can bring out a lot of guilt, shame and regret. I'd be lying if I said I haven't felt all of the above at times. However, I am realizing feeling all the emotions I spent years trying to numb is actually a beautiful thing. Not only am I learning to feel them, I'm learning how to deal with them and live a healthy and successful life. I have made mistakes along the way and I will never be perfect. Every day I have to make a conscious decision not to beat myself up. I am a work in progress and I have come a LONG way. There are good days and bad days. Sometimes, I feel like life isn't fair and I wish I could just drink alcohol normally like everyone else. Mostly, I have accepted that this is the way my life is, kind of like having five knee surgeries, quitting alcohol has become one of my stories of perseverance. I never thought that sobriety would be my preferred way of life, but now I can't imagine going back to my party girl ways. I never dreamed I would feel SO happy, full and healthy living a life without drugs and alcohol. I was always that girl who needed alcohol to have fun, and now I am a testament to the fact that you don't need it to enjoy yourself. I wake up every day feeling relieved that I never have to feel hungover. I hope that by sharing my story ,other party girls (and boys) will have the courage to put down the drink and live the life they have always imagined. The best is yet to come. This post originally appeared on The Adventures of a Sober Senorita. The new Bishop of Liverpool, Paul Bayes, calls the church to get involved in Street Pastors and Street Angels - 'be with people where there is a need' (video below at 5:15): Link on Diocese of Liverpool web site Bishop Paul Bayes from Diocese of Liverpool on Vimeo. |
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ROC Angels - an initiative of ROC (Redeeming Our Communities)
Charity - 1139817 / Registered Company - 7327258 Postal Address: ROC Angels, c/o The King's Centre, Park Rd, Halifax, HX1 2TS E-Mail: [email protected] (founder / CEO) / Phone: 07725501465 |