The recovery walk which took place along the River Ayr.
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Nearly 250 people, many of whom were families, keen to support people in recovery from alcohol and drug addiction have taken part in the first ever Recovery Walk in South Ayrshire.
The walk was organised by the South Ayrshire Alcohol and Drugs Partnership (ADP) and took place along the River Ayr, starting from Riverside Church, making its way to Craigie Campus and over the bridge to Holmston Road.
The ADP is working to promote recovery from alcohol and drug misuse by bringing communities, families and individuals together to find local solutions and break down some of the adverse publicity people in recovery face and have launched a new strategy to reduce drug and alcohol misuse in South Ayrshire.
Before the Recovery Walk began, local people in recovery told their own recovery stories and many listeners were moved to tears by some of the experiences they heard.
Moving outside for the walk, some early torrential rain failed to dampen the crowd's high spirits and the big turnout was rewarded with warm sunshine as 100 balloons were released to cheers and applause, marking the start of the walk, led by the renowned steel band SumWumminDrummin.
Kenny Leinster, Chair of the ADP said: "RecoveryAyr exceeded our expectations and we were thrilled with the level of support shown to local individuals in recovery.
"People came from well outside South Ayrshire to take part and we were overwhelmed with messages of support and encouragement in the lead up to the event.
"Nick Morgan provided fantastic live music and, while all this was going on, children (and adults) took part in face painting, visited the stalls and had great fun with the bubbles and the giant balloons!
"The raffle was also a huge success and a good measure of support for the event came from the fact that over 100 prizes were donated.
"All in all, the Ayr Recovery Walk was a fantastic afternoon!
Councillor Rita Miller, South Ayrshire Council's Portfolio Holder for Social Services added: "The ADP is working hard to promote the very positive message that recovery is achievable and works best when people, families and communities come together.
"The Recovery Walk has had enormous support and I'd like to thank everyone who made it possible – all the volunteers, Riverside Church, walk stewards, face painters, stall holders, St Andrews Ambulance and Strathclyde Police – everyone played a vital part in the smooth running of a fantastic day!
"A particularly big thank you goes to members of the Care & Share project, who made the colourful start/finish banner.
"However, the day was all about those individuals in recovery from alcohol and drugs misuse.
"For them to bravely stand up in front of hundreds of people and openly share their very personal experiences and stories was truly inspirational and often incredibly moving.
"We can't thank them enough and look forward to sharing their stories, the images, film footage and feedback from the event, as we continue our work to help people, families and communities find solutions to alcohol and drug misuse."