“I was homeless, living on the streets, addicted to drugs, I have been clean for 3 months … and now I am dancing and singing on the streets dressed as a Christmas Tree”
Meet Lizzie, who was Carol singing in Arnold, with a group of people from Betel charity. With help from Betel Lizzie is turning her life around
Lizzie asked me if I knew about the work of Betel. I told her I was aware of their work as they had a furniture shop at the end of Front Street, that we had donated to and bought from in the past. We had also visited one of their workshops on the A614 Old Rufford Road.
Betel UK is an independent Christian charity for men, women and families affected by the hardships that lead to social exclusion, especially homelessness, drug and alcohol abuse and long-term unemployment.
Betel provide a safe, structured, family-like environment where there is consistent peer-support: during the first few months each resident is assigned a brother- or sister-like mentor. As such, Betel is not a rehabilitation centre or a clinical program with doctors or counsellors, where you receive a medicated detox, but instead it provides an alternative model of recovery which has made a radical difference to many lives that were formerly in chaos.
To find out more about Betel please visit their website. I think they are an excellent charity.
www.betel.uk/
Lizzie was really happy to be photographed and I took several shots in the fading light. I wished her well in her recovery and apologised to the carol singers for having no money to put in the collection boxes
I think this is a really uplifting story to mark my halfway point, stranger 250, in round 3 of my 100 strangers.
Sony A7, with Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 Di III RXD, edited in ART and GIMP
@marlboromaam thanks maggie for the thoughtful comment