The Well has been created and developed by ex-offender, David Higham. David had been in and out of prison since the age of 16 and was a person who used drugs for more than 25 years. But with intensive support from the former Lancaster Castle prison, David began his recovery and has been drug-free for 17 years.
David left prison for the last time in 2007. Since then he has dedicated his life to supporting others with alcohol and substance use disorders through both voluntary and paid employment.
Seeing a big gap locally in the support for people leaving prison with a substance use disorder, David decided to set up The Well. The first hub was launched in Lancaster in 2012, and a further four sites quickly followed in Lancashire and Cumbria.
The Well reflects David’s vision of what recovery services should look like – inclusive, non-judgmental, inspirational and effective. It focuses on peer mentoring as David’s view is that long-term recovery can happen through the therapeutic value of one with a substance use disorder helping another person with substance use disorder.
David set up The Well with his own money and with no blueprint to follow. Instead, he used his experience, vision and determination to create what has now become a leading provider of recovery services in the region.
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