Helping men find recovery for life
Yeldall Manor, between Hare Hatch and Wargrave, is marking 45 years of helping thousands of men let go of their addictions. Community news reporter Melissa Paulden found out more about the Christianbased drug and alcohol treatment centre.
Alex Bates, a Yeldall Manor support worker, is studying to become a counsellor.
His work placement is at a substance abuse centre situated metres away from where he once ‘lived a life of addiction.’
That’s how much of a turnaround he has made in six short years, partly due to the courage he had inside of him, and partly due to the support services he received at Yeldall Manor, the Christianbased drug and alcohol treatment centre that turns 45 this month.
A series of traumatic childhood events led Alex, now 38, down a destructive path of substance abuse and crime, which landed him in prison. It was there that his life started to improve.
“I came across a book called Jesus Loves Prisoners, which I read over and over,” he said.
“One night, as I was looking out of my cell window at a huge, glowing moon over the sea, I felt euphoric. I remember thinking that ‘this feeling is better than any drug’.”
A place at Yeldall became available and Alex was off to get treatment.
He said: “Everyone in the prison said that I didn’t need rehab. That I ‘looked OK’, but I knew I wasn’t right. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I now know I was spiritually damaged and needed to be in a place that accepted me.”
Acceptance is key at Yeldall Manor, and it has been since the day it was created by Reverend
Bill Yoder and wife Joanie, who, in 1972 set out to build a welcoming and non-clinical rehabilitation and healing ‘home’ for men struggling with addiction.
Forty-five years on and Yeldall, set in 38 acres of Berkshire countryside between Hare Hatch and Wargrave, is known the world over for its ‘recovery for life’ ethos that helps residents rebuild lives, relationships, careers and maintain sobriety with Christianity at its core.
MP Theresa May is supportive of the work that Yeldall does.
She said: “Over the years I have made several visits to Yeldall and was delighted to visit again in
July when I was able to speak to the team about their ongoing tireless work and to have a look around the excellent facilities on offer to their residents.
“I also heard about their impressive work to keep their facilities open during the pandemic.
“Yeldall Manor provides vital services for vulnerable people who have been affected by addiction.
“Yeldall Manor has served the community for 45 years and it is good to see the organisation going from strength to strength.”
Two consecutive residential programmes and a dedicated aftercare system guide up to 21 residents at a time using group sessions, counselling, manual skills training and worship.
Many of the residents talk of a strength that their discovering faith gives them, and those who aren’t convinced still find a respect for religion and appreciate the calm it brings.
According to Chris Wood, former resident and now Yeldall’s admissions officer, “Religion is not forced on anyone but those who are willing to learn do so because they have ‘tried everything else’ in the hope of saving themselves and not quite been able to.”
Chris spent years as a ‘functioning alcoholic,’ hiding his heavy drinking as he held a highflying executive role. He lost friends and family connections and ultimately, himself.
“I didn’t know it at the time but I had a personal and spiritual void that needed filling,” he said. “Addiction is a lonely place.”
He added: “People feel purposeless when they come here. They may have experienced deep trauma, or a rough childhood. Many of them suffer from a feeling of worthlessness and can’t even hold their head up, let alone look in the mirror and like what they see. That’s very common.
“But we embrace them here, show them some support and friendship.”
CEO Treflyn Lloyd-Roberts believes that support services run by ex-residents like Chris and now Alex are deeply effective.
“I’ve seen projects in many parts of the world where treatment is very clinical and that’s because the staff teams may be people who have never experienced recovery. It’s a situation of ‘we’re the experts and you’re the patients’.
“In support staff you almost need people who have walked the path, people who can say ‘I know it’s painful, but you can do this’.”
Setting and structure also help, whether it’s the 12-step recovery programme or daily labour in the grounds.
“We teach residents how to handle tools and give them employable skills,” explained Chris.
“When they break for lunch after a morning’s gardening and turn around to see the stripes on the lawn and smell the grass they’ve just cut they feel such pride; they feel so accomplished.”
During a COVID-19 lockdown period residents took the initiative to build a prayer garden from scratch, turning a disused area of grounds into a place for family gatherings and reflection.
Sadly, treatment centres like Yeldall Manor are becoming rare, with many closing down during the pandemic.
Treflyn said the last two years have been ‘brutal’ for the charity, which relies on donations to its Good Samaritan Fund to support placements which aren’t covered privately.
He added: “It was really tough but we made a commitment to stay open and COVID-19 is still here and it’s made us re-evaluate.
“During that time, we launched our first support programme for women, called ‘Esther’– and we hope to expand on that and create more partnerships. We don’t want to stay still and are always asking how we can do better.”
Visit yeldall.org.uk for more details.