Today we are making our way to the sixth UK Recovery walk which is being held in the Castlefield Arena In Manchester, its a lovely sunny day and as we arrive the arena isn't yet full but i can feel the buzz growing already. Today Fallen Angels Dance Theatre are joining us and are going to be performing also. As I read through the UKRW booklet which is being given out i really identify with the introduction which talks about "the transformative potential of recovery, the potential for people to get 'better than well' Recovery brings new purpose and meaning to our lives." I know recovery has brought this to me and i am surrounded by people for whom this is true also, as i look around people are smiling, i see eyes sparkling, there is big love and masses of hope.
The crowd and energy is steadily building, eight thousand people have got together today, personal stories are being shared on stage, and Riley B (former Risen member) is up next rapping 'Boy in the mirror' which was written from the perspective of looking at himself and his actions. Wow what an experience it is to watch him doing his thing, we are singing along and he shouts to the crowd to draw closer, and closer again, the crowd draws in and Ben dives into the crowd and he is carried, and thats what we do in recovery we carry each other. This is what Ben Riley thought of the day:
"The day was amazing, total unity, it brought recovery fellowships and organisation closer together. The show allowed us (sample sounds) to spread the word about the work we do with young people.
The crowd reaction was insane, everybody was singing back to us and dancing like crazy, it inspired many. I took a risk in doing a stage dive, tut, the crowd caught me and carried me across the sea of people. I've done thousands of events and this one is at the top of the list without a doubt!''
"The day was amazing, total unity, it brought recovery fellowships and organisation closer together. The show allowed us (sample sounds) to spread the word about the work we do with young people.
The crowd reaction was insane, everybody was singing back to us and dancing like crazy, it inspired many. I took a risk in doing a stage dive, tut, the crowd caught me and carried me across the sea of people. I've done thousands of events and this one is at the top of the list without a doubt!''