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The Rise Of The Charitable For-Profit Entity
Brave mum Patsy helps others battle the booze
The sitting room of Patsy Taylor’s Anglesey cottage is decorated from top to toe with pictures of her three children.
There is no doubt when she talks about Elizabeth, 25, Megan, 22 and 15-year-old James that she is a very proud and loving mum.
But a year ago, it was her children who took her to hospital in an effort to end Patsy’s 10-year battle with prolonged periods of heavy binge drinking.
Patsy, 53, from Llainfair PG, has not touched a drop of booze for more than a year after her very sobering visit to hospital made her realise the damage her alcohol addiction was causing.
She said: “I was in hospital with another woman who was younger than me and I remember feeling so sorry for her. She was so yellow, you could see it in the whites of her eyes, she was just so poorly and sad and I feel sure she couldn’t have had long left.
“She told me how she had been in and out of hospital for many years and all she could think about was how she was going to get another drink.
“All I could think about was getting better and being with my children and I think this was a turning point for me.”
So committed has she become to her recovery, that she now volunteers for the support group which helped kick start her battle to beat the booze.
She spends every spare hour she has working for the Anglesey and Gwynedd Recovery Organisation (AGRO) where she is already a board member, helps run the organisation’s Bangor support group and has gained a qualification in peer mentoring. Her aim is to become a fully qualified support worker who can help those fighting alcohol and drug misuse problems.
Patsy, who would consume a full bottle of vodka in one sitting at her lowest points, said: “I can’t begin to explain what it feels like not to be drinking anymore. The anger, bitterness and guilt I felt has just lifted and disappeared and I feel like I am starting a whole new life.
“I absolutely love working for AGRO. It has given me such purpose and so many goals to strive for and I just can’t wait to get stuck in all the time. It is making me so happy to have something in my life which is so positive and if I can help others in the process then all the better.”
AGRO was set up just over a year ago and offers 24 hour phone support to the people it helps. A range of activities, such as gardening, walking and art classes, are organised in an effort to take people away from their problems and distract them from battling against their addiction.
The fledgling organisation, which receives virtually no funding, is gaining advice and support from WINSENT (Wales Ireland Network for Social Entrepreneurship). The aim of the £1.3 million project is to support social enterprises which help reduce poverty and social inequality and breathe new life into communities across Anglesey.
WINSENT is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Ireland Wales Programme (INTERREG 4A).
AGRO co-founder, Huw Harries, a drug and alcohol support worker who has battled his own drink problem in the past, said the input from WINSENT was invaluable.
He said: “I am currently working two jobs to help fund AGRO and WINSENT is guiding us through the process of becoming a social enterprise which should help us access vital pots of funding.
“None of us at AGRO have ever been through this process before and we want to do it properly to get the most out of what we are trying to do. That is why it is so important to be able to talk to the people at WINSENT and for them to use their experience and knowledge to guide us through it.”
Sue Haygarth, of Consultancy Coop based in Wales, is working with Anglesey county council in delivering WINSENT for social enterprises in the county.
Her colleague Dr Martin Price has been assisting AGRO and he said: “AGRO is already doing such terrific work in Anglesey and you can tell by hearing the stories from the people it is helping that it can simply be a lifeline to people who, in many cases, are not the only ones suffering because their families and friends are going through it with them too.
“To ensure the future survival of this fantastic service, we are helping AGRO form as a social enterprise which should in turn open up many more funding doors for them.”
Patsy doesn’t hold back when she remembers the person which the demon drink would turn her into.
She said: “I just didn’t care about anything and you are so selfish. I would be crying all the time because you end up feeling so depressed and it is terrible, just really, really terrible.
“I would lock myself in the house and refuse to go out. I wouldn’t answer the phone and the worst thing was, it would cause so much worry to my children and then I would feel guilty about that and use it as an excuse to start drinking again. It is a very vicious situation to be in.
“I was just out of control.”
On one occasion, her youngest child, James, a promising footballer, called the police because he was so concerned about his mother and didn’t know what else to do to help her.
Patsy said: “James had to go and stay with a friend for a few months until I got myself straightened out.”
“I knew I had to get better and that is when my recovery started. It is a difficult path to go down and you will only succeed if you really, really want to do it. It has to come from within you, not because anyone else is telling you that you have to get better.”
Even when faced with social events such as her daughter’s summer wedding or her friend’s 40th birthday, Patsy has been able to control her urge to drink which she believes is a sign that this time her recovery is long term.
She said: “I still love getting dressed up and going out and I suppose I am a naturally outgoing and sociable person but I can honestly say that not being able to drink hasn’t spoilt things at all. When we were out the other night for my friend’s birthday, everyone was watching what they were spending on the meal because they wanted to keep their money for their drinking later on and I got stuck into the loveliest piece of fillet steak you can imagine and it was gorgeous!”
Patsy tried other support groups in the past but openly admits she sometimes turned up to the meetings intoxicated.
She believes the difference with AGRO is the varied activities which are organised for people with drink and drug problems to get stuck into. It is a chance for participants to take their mind away from their addiction and their struggle to escape its grasp.
Patsy said: “I helped out on the allotment, I have been to art classes, even just going out for a walk with someone would help get you out, get some fresh air in your lungs and distract you from the problems you are facing.”
Her friend and colleague, Huw, said: “She is like a little girl opening a present at Christmas and it is terrific to see her so happy.
“When she came to us, her life was in a mess but she has been very brave and with the support of AGRO she has got herself to where she is now.
“I think she is looking forward to helping others and putting something back and she is a valuable asset to us. Many people with the sorts of problems we deal with feel much easier talking to someone who has been there themselves. Someone who knows what they are going through and knows there can be a different way.”
To find out more about WINSENT go to www.winsent.eu or email Sue Haygarth at winsent@denbighshire.gov.uk.
For more details about AGRO go to www.agro-cymru.org or call 07549 956002.
Major expansion planned for pioneering clothing project
A ground-breaking children’s clothing project is set for major expansion.
Kit Out The Kids keeps 90 tonnes of textiles out of landfill every year and offers a vital service to families on low income.
It is one of 10 schemes run by Cooptions, a Prestatyn social enterprise company, which provides valuable employment opportunities to people with learning disabilities.
The scheme, which collects and sells good quality, second hand children’s clothing and toys at rock bottom prices, will be opening a new clothing shop for adults next door to the one they already have in Rhyl.
In a second big development, the project will team up with Denbighshire County Council to offer an improved donation collection service where specially labelled bags will be delivered with assistance from the authority’s refuse collectors to 30,000 homes across the county.
A collection service will then be operated fortnightly by Kit Out The Kids to coincide with the county’s blue bin recycling days.
The aim is to make it easier for people to remember when the collection will be made and to feel reassured their donated clothes will go to good use locally.
Andy Lowe, managing director of Cooptions, was encouraged to develop the clothing scheme following advice from WINSENT (Wales Ireland Network for Social Entrepreneurship).
The aim of the £1.3 million project is to support social entrepreneurs who use their business skills to reduce poverty and social inequality and breathe new life into communities across Anglesey and Denbighshire.
The project is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Ireland Wales Programme (INTERREG 4A).
Andy said: “WINSENT organised for me to go to Ireland on a study trip so I could see for myself how similar projects, including a textile reuse business, were working. Some of them were quite a bit further on than us and the trip gave me ideas, inspiration and confidence to take our project forward.”
Sue Haygarth, of Consultancy Coop based in Wales, is assisting Denbighshire County Council in delivering WINSENT for social enterprises in the county.
She said: “Kit Out The Kids is already providing a fantastic service to the people of Denbighshire and it made sense to look at ways to develop the project further.
“We have given Andy the chance to see for himself how he might use some tried and trusted ideas to develop the scheme and it is terrific to see how those thoughts he had are now coming to fruition.”
Jim Espley of Denbighshire County Council’s Environmental Services said: “We are delighted to have formalised a partnership with Cooptions to offer a clothes recycling service. The collections of unwanted clothes will be carried out by Cooptions staff and will be picked up on the same day as your blue wheelie bin.
“We are expecting the collection bags to be ready at the end of January and we will be distributing to households then.
“We have been very impressed by the service offered by Cooptions, as we see that local people are benefitting from a local service. As such, we are extremely pleased to be involved in this partnership.”
Absolutely everything which Kit Out The Kids receives is reused. All of the best quality and suitable clothing and toy donations are washed, dried and prepared for sale in the shop. The rest is recycled in some way such as rags for cleaning.
Hazel Lemmard, mum to three-year-old Liam, is a regular customer at the existing shop, which opened in 2005.
The 32-year-old from Rhyl said: “When you are on benefits and haven’t got a huge income, it can be really tough. Children’s clothing can be expensive and they are only in it five minutes because they are growing all the time.
“For me it takes the stress out of worrying how I am going to keep paying for all the clothes which Liam needs.
“I know I can come here and get some lovely things for him at an unbeatable price. I really don’t know what I would do without it.
“I think it is great they are opening a new adult shop. Perhaps I can treat myself a little bit now!”
Andy said: “The new adult shop will create a new income stream for us and could potentially double our takings. It also means we are providing more work for people and keeping more out of landfill so it is a very exciting development.”
When Kit Out The Kids was first set up in 2000, the project employed three members of staff and work opportunities for five people with learning disabilities. It now has six members of staff and 23 supported workers.
Catherine Hanley, 30, from Prestatyn, has worked for the project since it started. She said: “This is my favourite job. I really like all the people who work here and it is fun working in the shop too.
“My job there is to make sure everything looks neat and tidy and is presented well to the customers. “At the sorting centre I do a lot of tagging and making sure everything is ready for the shop. I enjoy all of it.”
To find out more about WINSENT go to www.winsent.eu or email Sue Haygarth at winsent@denbighshire.gov.uk. To find out more about Cooptions and all its projects, go to www.cooptions.co.uk or call 01745 851454.
