Devon based addiction recovery charity Write to Freedom awarded 3 year grant of £211,637 by the National Lottery’s Reaching Community Fund
Write to Freedom (W2F) is an award winning charity supporting people in addiction recovery to change their lives through mentoring, self-empowerment, wilderness experiences and the power of community.
This funding will support delivery of all programmes and develop a sustainable future to support long term addiction and trauma recovery throughout Devon and the UK.
W2F will develop their ground-breaking programme of ‘Recovery Tribes’ residential courses for new participants across the region. Also, to build the new creative and therapeutic ‘Creative Pathways to Healing and Meaning’ programmes. This will specifically work with developing personal skills and passions as pathways to volunteering, employment and long-term recovery
Write to Freedom was founded in 2008 by recovering addict, Caspar Walsh.
Staff and volunteers have a background in addiction recovery.
Introductory days and residential courses are nature-based, combining physical activity, team-building, bushcraft skills, group sharing and storytelling as processes for inner change. These are a complement to traditional treatments and have been hugely successful, with ongoing referrals and a growing recovery community.
Led by service user feedback, W2F are developing long-term Creative Pathways for participants working in partnership with Exeter University and industry professionals. This integrated approach provides the continuity to support full recovery.
The pilot project of this new programme saw the production of a short film, We Seek the Teeth, completed in September 2019. The film focuses on long term participant and lead nature connection facilitator, Ali Chapman and involved three members of the Write to Freedom community in the production crew. The film won second place in the Recovery Street Film Festival in the UK, been accepted into the Recovery Voices Festival in Michigan USA, and has been entered into a further three international film festivals.
Quotes
“Everyone should have equal access to supportive communities; to learning healthy ways of expressing and untangling confusing pasts and behaviours; to accessing natural environments and to exciting, creative and inspirational experiences.” - Caspar Walsh, Founder and Creative Director.
“Being involved in the film was adding another layer of healing and shedding a layer of hurt. I had to explore how it felt to make myself vulnerable and to trust – trust myself, the creative process, the end result. I began to learn to trust again on my W2F residential in 2016. My tribe has never let me down. I thank all involved for the passion and tenderness in making this beautiful film of hope and healing.” – Ali Chapman, subject of ‘We Seek the Teeth’, film Participant 2016, and Trainee Leader
“I left with gratitude and fulfilment. The amazing tribe of Write to Freedom have guided me on another step into my journey that has given me purpose and hope again. I surrendered my walls and nervousness and found another journey of self-discovery and spiritual connection. It’s been the most awakening journey I could have ever taken.”
- Emma, Participant 2018
“What I learned and experienced on the residential enhanced my life and gave me tools and ideas that have helped me to grow into the new life that I know is indispensable to continuing recovery. W2F is not just an event, it is a way of life.” - Peter, Participant 2017, and Trainee Leader
Link to latest blog, ‘Gold in the Shadows’, - https://www.writetofreedom.org.uk/news-blog/2020/2/10/gold-in-the-shadows
Write to Freedom
Creative Expression - Nature Immersion - Community Connection