Published at 19:46, Thursday, 28 February 2008

ORGANISERS do not make this claim, but the Rising Sun Trust has almost certainly saved lives, and not least that of its founder, Dave Smith.

The West Cumbrian drug and alcohol charity is entering its tenth year, having grown from the spare bedroom of a Greysouthen house to a substantial building opposite the Waverley Hotel in Workington.

It has gone from being a phone helpline run by a grieving father and his wife to become a charity performing a unique service - employing four staff, running drop-in centres in Workington and Maryport, speaking in schools and helping to staff a national telephone helpline.

The Rising Sun Trust was born of tragedy. Dave Smith's teenage son, Ryan, became a drug addict. Ironically, he was “clean” when he was found dead in a Liverpool hostel.

It was heartbreaking for Ryan's family, who had struggled to support him during what his father, Dave, refers to as his “drug career”.

Dave grieved, but he also blamed himself. He still wonders what more he could have done.

“People were coming to me, writing to me and phoning with their condolences but there were several who also asked the questions I have asked myself so many times. I realised that there were a lot of people going through the same experiences," says Dave.

Ryan died in the February. By April, Dave and his wife, Marlene, had set up a helpline in a spare bedroom, trying to support people struggling with addiction, and their loved ones.

He says: “It took me about six years to realise that the person I was trying to help was myself. I realised, after six years, that I had filled in the time I had been filling in with Ryan.

“It was real self-counselling and it took a lot to admit it. I had some terribly dark thoughts in those early days. I wanted to help people through this trust - and it helped to save me."

The Rising Sun Trust was given its name because the rising sun is a sign of hope and of a new day, but it was also because, not long before he died, Ryan gave his father a picture that he’d drawn - of a rising sun.

It is that symbol of hope that Dave and his colleagues want to instil in people who come through the door, whether they are in the grip of addiction or are terrified parents who don't know where to turn.

He says: “When I started this I gave myself 10 years and I decided that if, at the end of that 10 years, I met a fellow on Murray Road walking with his wife and kids and he called our, ‘Hiya, Dave" and he had turned his life around, then the Rising Sun would have been a success."

At this moment in our interview Dave stops because a client has arrived, desperate to show off a photo of a new baby. Dave looks as pleased as if the child were his own. His staff are, too.

That is the first noticeable thing about the Rising Sun Trust- its clients are friends.

Emma, one of the counsellors, came to the trust as a client first and said that the help she got provided her with the confidence and self-esteem to become a counsellor in her own right.

Her aim is to make clients feel like she felt; that the Rising Sun Trust is a place where people can come and not feel judged, just supported.

Lee Cartner, a helpline volunteer, says: “I am amazed by the sheer dedication of people working at the trust. Drug use in the UK is not just confined to big cities and it affects people from all walks of life. The Rising Sun Trust offers people opportunities and guidance to manage their drug use."

Marilyn Woolfe, who has been a volunteer for six years, says: "”I have gained friendship and support through giving support to other parents to help them come to terms with family issues."

The trust's telephone helpline runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It has been so successful that it now answers on behalf of Parents Against Drug Addiction, a Liverpool charity operating a national helpline.

At their drop-ins, in Workington and Maryport, people can go in and talk; staff will refer them to other agencies, help them fill out forms or just make them a cup of tea.

Each person is treated as an individual and not just an addict.

Families, too, come for help, support and advice. They, too, can come at any time but there are also special times where they can meet and talk together and share experiences.

There is no other charity in Cumbria offering the same services as the Rising Sun Trust and yet the bulk of its funding comes from outside the county.

It costs £105,000 a year to run and there is no official funding in Cumbria.

The charity is totally dependent on grants and donations, and Dave can be up at 4am sending off applications.

Dave and his staff might have had their own tragedies, but that just makes them more determined to help those who need them now.

To make a donation or to ask for information about the trust, phone 01900 870034. Anyone needing help, advice or support can ring the helpline on 0800 838449.

Published by http://www.timesandstar.co.uk