A DRAMA therapy programme designed to keep those with drug and alcohol addictions in recovery will be rolled out in Saltcoats this week.

Recovering Voices, led by film writer and director Mark MacNicol and the charity Creative Change Collective, was devised to help people in the recovery community who have no prior interest in drama or therapy.

It uses an ‘anonymous’ element which allows participants to express themselves without revealing whether what they have shared is based on real-life experience or fiction.

The Scottish Government has provided funding for a similar successful programme in Glasgow for three years through the Corra Foundation, and it has now been extended to more areas including Saltcoats.

The group will meet weekly on Fridays from 10am-12pm at the Argyle Community Centre, starting this week.

Those in the recovery community are encouraged to self-refer by contacting info@ccc.scot.

READ MORE: Saltcoats man Eddie hopes community can help kickstart his filmmaking dream

In October, participants of Recovering Voices in Glasgow performed on stage at Oran Mor to celebrate their achievements with family, friends and their wider support networks.

Drugs policy minister Angela Constance attended the event and praised Creative Change Collective for making recovery “visible” and told how the project was “helping people discover their own recovery path”.

Project director Mark lost his own brother Jason, 30, to a heroin overdose 15 years ago.

He said: “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.”

A previous participant in Recovering Voices described the sessions as the “highlight” of their week, while another said it had “definitely helped” their recovery.

READ MORE: 'Rehab centre could've saved dad's life': Saltcoats woman's plea to give new facility a chance

Creative Change Collective, formerly Street Cones, uses film and theatre-type activities to help participants in the charity’s programmes achieve more positive outcomes in their lives.

Most of their work since starting in 2014 has focussed on people in or at risk of entering the justice system.

Mark added: “We are pleased to roll our Recovering Voices programme out to members of the recovery community in Saltcoats following its success in Glasgow.

“Our sessions are designed to support people in their recovery through drama therapy activities – but the majority of our participants have no prior interest or experience in acting or writing.

“By expanding this programme, we hope to help more people to stay in recovery, potentially saving lives.

“I have been working with Creative Change Collective, formerly Street Cones, for a few years mostly in the justice space and have seen the brilliant results projects like this can have.”