North East charity assists Coronation Street scriptwriters in upcoming addiction storyline
A North East organisation is playing a key role in assisting a Coronation Street storyline.
The Road to Recovery Trust, the organisation behind Newcastle's only recovery café, has been assisting Coronation Street scriptwriters for a plot that will hit TV screens next week.
Peter Barlow, a long-running Coronation Street character, will be seen facing his demons once again as a traumatic incident leads him to pick up a drink.
The Chair of The Road to Recovery Trust said the group has been working with the Coronation Street team for almost 12 months, reviewing story ideas and dialogue relating to addiction and recovery.
The Road to Recovery Trust tackles addiction stigma at a national level, promoting twelve-step abstinence-based recovery for all kinds of addictions and providing safe spaces and supportive communities for people in the North East. It is best known for its Unity Café at George Street Social and running a 24/7 helpline for people struggling with addiction during the lockdown.
The Trust's founder Lionel Joyce OBE CBE hopes the soap storyline will "blast stereotypes wide open to enable those who are struggling to speak out".
The episodes will be aired from Monday 16th November on ITV.
Help and advice for addiction:
The NHS recommends visiting your GP for advice or contact an organisation that specialises in helping people with addictions.
You can use the following online directories to find addiction treatment services in your area:
The following links have more information about the treatment, support and advice available for dealing with:
To speak to someone anonymously about any type of addiction, you can call the Samaritans free on 116 123.
If you are based in Newcastle or the surrounding area and struggling with addiction, you can call The Road to Recovery's George Street 24/7 helpline on 0191 814 9796.
For more information about the Trust, please visit www.roadtorecoverytrust.org.uk