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Silkworth Lodge is joining organisations nationwide next week to get people thinking about the affects of alcohol addiction on individuals, their families and the communities they live in.
Silkworth Lodge is joining organisations nationwide next week to get people thinking about the affects of alcohol addiction on individuals, their families and the communities they live in.
To mark Alcohol Awareness Week UK, and to raise awareness of what it does, Silkworth Lodge is undertaking an Islandwide newsletter postal drop to homes and businesses. Silkworth Lodge is the only residential rehabilitation treatment centre in the Channel Islands dedicated to supporting those with drug and alcohol dependency and their families.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Silkworth Charity Group, Jason Wyse, said Alcohol Awareness Week presented a fantastic opportunity to raise awareness of alcohol issues in an island where consumption is acknowledged to be double that of the UK and one of the highest in Europe. Nonetheless, he added, in taking part in a national focus on alcohol addiction, Silkworth Lodge wanted Islanders to look at the bigger picture.
‘Chemical dependency, whether it is alcohol or drug related, is an illness that not only destroys individuals but which also has serious implications for their families, friends and society. Since Silkworth Lodge opened 11 years ago, we are proud to have helped hundreds of Islanders to recover from addiction, regain their self-esteem and to lead lives free from substance abuse. However, one of the most important elements of our work is to help put families back together,’ he said.
In addition to raising the profile of the Silkworth Charity Group, the newsletter contains information about two extreme endurance fundraising activities to take place in 2014.
Silkworth is the chosen charity of the Five Island Ultra marathon, a 110-mile race organised by Digby Ellis-Brecknell to take place over three days next May that will see entrants run around Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Herm and Sark.
In September 2014, the first Silkworth Extreme Team Challenge, led by Kazz Padidar, will begin at dawn with a coasteering challenge on the north coast and continue throughout the day in relay stages including running, cycling, kayaking, and swimming back to the north coast for sunset.
Mr Wyse said the charity was excited to be working with Kazz and Digby in what promised to be two very exhilarating tests of endurance and team-building events.
‘The nature of these extreme challenges reflects the physical demands, strength of character and reserves of willpower needed to overcome the illness of addiction and to live a life of recovery,’ he said.
