I was too scared to ask for help, so this place is just amazing
Everyone calls me Paddy because of Paddy from Emmerdale, it’s really Graham Cassidy. About 3 year ago I moved into North Shields. I’m a recovering alcoholic so 2017 I moved into Whitley Bay, and I started coming to the Meadows for recovery. At the very early stages I was coming here nearly every day, going down to the centre and just getting to know North Shields because I’ve basically never been here. When I started coming here, I used to come on Mondays and Fridays then the more I come here the more comfortable I felt and the more staff I knew. I started doing voluntary work in the gardens. I done a bit of work for the food bank and I went to NTRP in Wallsend which is North Tyneside Recovery Program.
Paddy (aka Graham Cassidy) © Hazel Plater
I went there and I trained up to be a facilitator. I was running me own groups on a Friday. So, Monday I used to come to meetings as a service user. Tuesday I was doing Positive Pathways, Wednesday I’d volunteer for the gardens, Thursday it was cookery and then Friday me meetings. It’s best to have like a schedule ‘cos that helped me with recovery. The staff were brilliant and basically 6, 7 years on now and it’s absolutely amazing.
I love coming here. When I first started coming here it was scary because I didn’t know anyone it was like my first step of recovery, but this place has just changed me life because I don’t know where I’d be to be honest with you. I don’t like to think about it because if it wasn’t for this place I probably wouldn’t be here, so this is the best place for me in North Shields because I feel safe.
Out of here the quayside, walking along the promenade or even just sitting in the car watching the ships coming in and out. I would say that was me second place, I like the fish quay because I just love seafood so every time I go down, I just buy loads of food so it’s lush.
Howdon, that’s where I grew up and Wallsend is where I was living but I was drinking in Wallsend. I just love Howdon as well it’s where you made friends at school it’s where all me schools were right within two mile of each other so it was really good.
Childhood memories that’ll always stay with me but when I really needed help this place and North Shields helped me. I know for a fact if it wasn’t for this place I wouldn’t be here and it’s true because I was so close to just not being here anymore. I needed help, but I was too scared to ask for help, so this place is just amazing.
I don’t expect anything. I used to have goals when I was in me first stages of recovery. Now I try not to set myself up for a fall ‘cos if I do that and I’m going to fall and go back again. So basically, I’m content, I’m happy with everything at the minute. I wouldn’t say that there was anything that I needed or wanted, just everything is just really nice at the minute, so hopefully it just stays like this.
Graham was interviewed as part of the North Shields 800 Voices project.