When I first went into Havilah I didn’t know what to expect. It wasn’t that I had a certain idea of what waited for me when I entered – it was more of the fact that I was a drug addict who until just before was shoplifting to feed my habit. Because I had stopped shoplifting all of my money was going on feeding my habit and I was not taking proper care of myself.

When I first went into Havilah I was unsure of how I would be received as I hadn’t been to a church for 16 years and really didn’t know what would be expected of me from the volunteers that ran the service. As it turned out I had nothing to worry about as the people that were there were really nice and caring (which was a pleasant change to what I was used to dealing with because the people that I had been hanging out with recently could not be fully trusted). There was no pressure on me and before long I had made a couple of new pals that I could speak to and not be judged.

I know from personal experience that going into a church for any reason is not the trendiest thing to be doing when there is so much other things to be doing with life. I have been going to Havilah for near 5 months now and a bit more settled in my life. In this time there has been other folk that have had heroin problems that have gone along and these folk had mentioned a desire to one day go to rehab and get on with life without drugs. Once their wishes were known they were given good advice and three of my friends are now getting the help that they wanted without all the palaver that is usually experienced with trying to get into rehab. It is a year long commitment and the letters that I have received have all been positive. I myself have been offered the chance to fill in an application form but I feel that I can beat my problems without going away but it is nice to know that the option is there if I change my mind.

To anyone thinking of changing direction with their life or just wanting something to do three times a week then they can always pop their heads into St Andrew’s Church, when it is open. They will always be welcomed with a cuppy and a warm smile.