I am running the 2018 Virgin London marathon to raise money for Broadway Lodge, a treatment centre for addiction based in Somerset. Below is an excerpt taken from their website, detailing what they do:

‘We are experts in supporting people into recovery from a wide range of addictive behaviours including sex, co-dependency, gambling and gaming.
Detoxification can be provided for alcohol, illicit drugs, novel psychoactive substances and prescribed medication.
We also have extensive experience supporting clients with secondary issues such as self-harm and eating disorders.
A significant proportion of our clients have additional mental health needs. These are well supported by our specialist mental health nurses and counsellors.

The specific substance or behaviour is in many ways immaterial: we treat ‘addiction’ in all its manifestations and challenge deeply embedded and harmful thought patterns to equip clients with the tools they need to sustain a healthy, long-term recovery.’

A childhood friend of mine, Clinton Roberts, was treated at Broadway Lodge-his experience there helped him lay a lot of his demons to rest.
Unfortunately, Clint lost his fight against end stage cirrhosis on the 4th February 2017, three months before his 38th birthday.

Clint fought alcoholism, substance dependency, and mental health traumas for many years. Help was sought in his early teenage years and ongoing throughout the years that followed. The support that was needed throughout his life was and is still sadly flawed, because of funding, and also not being available where he lived. His mother, who throughout his troubled years, fought constant battles to try and get him the help he needed, still strives to get the message across that if you can reach out and support a young person who is starting on the alcohol or addictive path, it may make a difference.

Those who knew Clint remember a healthy young lad full of the joys and expectations of anyone starting out in life. He was sadly influenced to try drink and substances at a time when he was entering his teenage years and should have been embracing this chapter of his life. Things spiralled out of control over the years with his addictions and the demons they created.
At his funeral the church was overflowing, with family and friends who had known the happy go lucky, young Clint and had witnessed the Clint who fought his illness. Even though he was striving and calling out for help and peace of mind, he remained a person that had impacted so many people’s lives with his friendship. He was a kind caring man who would help anybody if he could even if it was only a quick chat, a joke or one of his big smiles.

The work that is done to support addicts and their families is extremely invaluable, so I am training for the marathon to raise money for this very worthwhile cause. This is what your donation will help support:

£10: Covers the expenses of a volunteer in recovery sharing their story in local schools.

£40: Pays for an outpatient counselling session to help someone maintain their recovery.

£100: Pays for a day on our life-saving residential programme.

Please, donate what you can, but if you are unable to do so, I would be extremely grateful if you could pass on the details of this fundraising page to family, friends, and co-workers.


Many thanks, and I’ll see you at the finish line!

Craig