A DRAMA  therapy programme that supports people struggling with addiction has plans to establish a group in Saltcoats.

The Recovering Voices programme supports participants in residential and community alcohol and drug recovery programmes and was first pioneered in Glasgow.

Run by Creative Change Collective, the initiative has been able to expand after the group were awarded £400,000 by the Scottish Government.

As well as at the recently-opened Phoenix Futures facility in Saltcoats, the project will also be set up in Erskine and Clydebank.

Creative Change Collective project director, Mark MacNicol, said: “We are pleased that this funding will allow us to take our Recovering Voices project into three more local authority areas.

“Losing my brother Jason to addiction has been a big motivating factor for me.

“If there is one person helped as a result of this then there is a family out there who doesn’t have to go through what ours did.”

Earlier this week, members of the Glasgow group participated in a performance in Oran Mor in Glasgow’s west end.

Group members showcased a variety-style mix of sketches such as reading poems and performing scripts which highlighted their achievements, successes, and experiences.

Participants also addressed the stigma they face and how their issues have affected family members.

Drugs policy minister Angela Constance, who attended the Oran  show, said: “We know people are individuals and one size doesn’t fit all, so this project – like many other projects – is helping people discover their own recovery path.”