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Catherine meets recovering addicts on garden visit

Laura Devlinand
Zoie O'Brien,in Southend-on-Sea
News imageReuters Catherine, princess of Wales, dressed in a grey and blue Tweed-style jacket and dark top smiles in the centre of the image. She has long brown hair. She is sitting at an outdoor round table, on which are plastic gardening pots and hand tools in a purple bucket. A man with a shaved head to the right, and a blonde-haired woman, to the left, are seated at the same table, their backs to the camera. Both are wearing dark clothing. Reuters
The princess met with people learning gardening skills as part of their recovery

Catherine, Princess of Wales heard moving stories from people recovering from addiction as she visited a garden where people in recovery can embrace the outdoors.

As patron of the Forward Trust - a charity that supports recovering addicts - she spent time at its new green space in Garon Park, Southend-on-Sea.

The princess met service users including recovering alcoholic Steph Sampson, who told how in the depths of her addiction she lied to her children about her alcohol consumption.

"I found out that there was a trauma that I buried so deep that I didn't think was a problem, but actually it really was," she told the princess.

The 45-year-old, of Leigh-on-Sea, told Catherine of a moving letter her daughter Mia, 21, wrote to her begging her to give up alcohol which was a turning point.

She says she has been sober for more than six months with the help of the Forward Trust.

Catherine applauded her and said "I bet", when Sampson said her two children were "so proud" of her.

News imageZoie O'Brien/BBC A woman smiling at the camera in a head and shoulders image. She has long brown hair, blue eyes and is wearing a black and white herringbone patterned jacketZoie O'Brien/BBC
Steph Sampson suffered seizures due to her alcohol addiction

Speaking to the BBC, the mother-of-two said: "It's just completely mad to think I'm sitting here with Princess Kate telling her about my problems, but feeling really comfortable in doing so."

After seeking help from a GP, Sampson was referred to Southend Treatment and Recovery Service, run by Forward Trust and Essex-based Open Road, for detox and rehabilitation.

"It has saved my life and the relationship with them [my children] now is just amazing," said Sampson, who volunteers as a Stars mentor.

"We're all laughing together, we're all sitting there at dinner together, we all can't wait to go on holiday together - I'm present again in their lives and it's life-changing."

News imagePA Media Catherine, Princess of Wales, walks along with a woman to each side of her. They are talking as they walk along a path with greenery to each side. Catherine has long brown hair, black trousers and a check jacket. The woman to the left has long brown hair, glasses, floral patterned skirt, black top and blue denim jacket. On her right is a woman with blonde hair, glasses, brown top, beige jacket and pale trousers.PA Media
Catherine chatted with people from the charity as she toured the garden

The princess described the green space as a "fantastic environment" and told Liam King, who leads conservation at Garon Park: "Spaces like this are so vital for lots of different organisations to be able to come together and use.

"Often people don't know where to go."

News imagePA Media Catherine, Princess of Wales, facing the camera but partially obscured, puts her right arm around a woman's shoulders to pull her into a hug. She has long brown hair and a grey Tweed-style jacket. The woman has her back to the camera. She has shoulder-length brown hair, glasses and a cream top.PA Media
A royal visit was "massive" for the trust, its chief executive said

The princess made her visit to mark Addiction Awareness Week.

For this year's campaign week, which began on Saturday and runs until Friday, the Forward Trust is aiming to start 17,000 conversations about addiction, to mark the number of lives lost to drug or alcohol-related causes in the UK each year.

Mike Trace, the trust's chief executive, said: "A royal visit is massive for us because it normalises these conversations.

"People should be talking about addiction and when you can see a member of the royal family sat with people who've been through addiction, have had family members go through addiction and just talking about it, offering to help and offer to understand, that is exactly what we want the whole country to see."

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