Member Article

Garden party raises £11,000 for Yorkshire rehab centre

A Yorkshire summer garden party held at Scampston Hall near Malton has raised more than £11,000 for a Yorkshire drug and alcohol rehab centre.

More than 100 guests from across the county came to support The Bridges in Hull, a residential treatment centre which is run by the Rehabilitation for Addicted Prisoners Trust (RAPt).

Speakers included Dean, one of the clients from The Bridges, who spoke movingly and eloquently about how RAPt had helped him to kick a life of crime and addiction. Charlie Forbes Adam, chairman of RAPt’s Fundraising Advisory Group in Yorkshire and current High Sheriff of North Yorkshire, also spoke. The evening was hosted by Christopher and Miranda Legard of Scampston Hall.

“Graduates from The Bridges, ex-prisoners who are now living productive lives free from drug, alcohol and crime, sold raffle tickets and helped to make the evening the success it was. It was incredibly life-enhancing and humbling to see how they had turned their lives around – all thanks to The Bridges,” said Mr Forbes Adam.

Douglas Dunsmore-Dawson, RAPt Regional Manager for Yorkshire & Humber, commented: “I would like to thank Charlie, Pippa and their committee for all the work they do for RAPt. The Summer Garden Party is but one example of their fundraising work and we are truly grateful.”

“Everyone connected with RAPt believes passionately in The Bridges and the tremendous work it does to support ex-prisoners who are trying to rid themselves of their addiction to drink and drugs. They are also acutely aware of the funding gap, which means the public sector is unable to support The Bridges as it might.”

“The statistics speak for themselves. Over half the prison population are serving a sentence related to drug addiction, and alcohol is a factor in over half of all violent crimes. Approximately 60% of released prisoners will go on to re-offend within two years (National Audit Office, 2010).

“In comparison, the overall reconviction rates for people who completed the RAPt programme in prison was just 31% after a one year follow up period, compared to 48% of people who engaged with the RAPt programme but did not complete it, and 49% of people who engaged with a lower intensity substance misuse programme in prison. It costs £36,808 to keep a prisoner for a year (Ministry of Justice, 2013), but £16,000 for RAPt’s six-month programme at The Bridges. Furthermore, the cost of re-offending by all recent ex-prisoners cost the economy between £9.5 and £13 billion (National Audit Office, 2010).

“So every penny raised for RAPt and The Bridges actually saves money in the long term, as well as giving ex-offenders their life, health and dignity back,” added Mr Dunsmore-Dawson “But it’s not just about raising money. We also need to raise awareness about the great work The Bridges does, especially amongst employers in the Hull region, who we want to encourage to take on graduates of The Bridges”.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Robert Beaumont .