James Dever, 43, moved to Stevenston in his early twenties to escape the street violence and unprocessed trauma that dogged his formative years in Paisley.

Now living in Ardrossan, he has turned his life around from street violence to become a dedicated pastor, as he told the Herald: “In 1997, I experienced the worst year of my life, I lost seven of my close friends, there was a lot of trauma.

“I was lucky I met my wife when I was young, and we both loved the area and came down to the coast for our holidays.

“But I realised you cannot escape yourself.

"You can move but you take yourself with you.”

James was successful in setting up a garage in Stevenston, and wanted to be the best at what he did. “I wanted to be the best employer I could, I also had all the best cars but I would get wrecked all the time.

“I now know I had PTSD but I was working hard and playing harder.

“It didn’t matter how much money I made, it was never enough.

"We’d get all these contracts but I was living in survival mode.”

James found himself going out and getting into trouble after a drink was taken: “I would see groups of guys and want to just fight them.

"Or I would pass out and the barmaid would take me home.”

This went on for 15 years, before reaching his rock bottom when the company bid for £1million of contracts and got nothing. “Money was my goal, I had tunnel vision, and my behaviour got worse.

“It was then the wheels started to come off.

"I tried to take my own life twice, and when that didn’t work, I tried to convince the doctors that I was a danger to myself and others.

"And they let me walk out the facility, even after what I told him.”

For James, he then had an epiphany moment. “I realised that I shouldn’t be here.

"Somebody was watching over me, I had been through all this trauma and I was still here.”

He remembered a time when he was brought from church to church by his parents who both went to AA meetings: “I had this complicated relationship with the church, but I started to do some soul searching of my own.”

James began to read the bible, having never managed to read and write - something he believed contributed to his struggles growing up. “I was violent because I was trying to stick up for myself” - he’s now writing down his story and using the bible to help himself with his recovery.

“I remembered a time when things were simpler, our family home was full of people, meeting together and my father played his guitar.”

James now runs his own services from Stevenston, including online sessions during lockdown.

"He continued: “I say to people, I can’t fix you, but it is more about acceptance and welcoming people no matter who or where they are at.”

After being supported with the costs, 3 Towns Tabernacle now runs out of the APL centre.

For more information, visit: https://www.facebook.com/3TownsTabernacle/