Stu: ‘It’s good to get out of your comfort zone and broaden your horizons’

He attends a weekly Shared Reading group at The Reader’s home in Calderstones Park, South Liverpool. Members of DJK House connect and share experiences using stories and poems. There is no pressure to talk or read aloud. 

“I am a bit dyslexic so do not read many books, but I do write my own poetry. Before I would never have given Shared Reading a go, but it is good to say ‘yes’ to things, get out of your comfort zone and broaden your horizons. 

At first, I did feel a little uneasy, but the girls who run the group are so welcoming and polite. They make you feel comfortable and easy to fit it. It’s been eye-opening and makes you feel more ‘normal’ coming to a book group - compared to sitting in a crack den. 

I was quiet in the beginning, but it is a place where everyone can have-a-go and just say what they think. It is quite a special space. We’re all like family.  

I have been at Damien John Kelly House for two years. I was in rehab in Runcorn beforehand and my therapist thought it would suit me. He introduced me to PJ who runs the place. 

When I was nine years old, I was run over by a car while riding my bike and it left me with head injuries. It altered my behaviour. My addictions began in my early teens – speed, alcohol, glue-sniffing and then at 14, I ended up overdosing on heroin. I was in a children’s home between the ages of 13 and 16 – and am still in contact with two of the staff there. 

I like spoken word poetry, and my favourite poet is John Cooper Clarke. I have seen him perform live twice. PJs wife is a poet and works with him. She’s also looked at some of my poems. I write about my own experiences with addiction and have read some of them aloud in the group a few times. One is called Smoking Gasolene. 

I have started reading short stories in my spare time and recently enjoyed A Short Stay in Hell by an American writer called Steven L. Peck. It’s a psychological horror story about someone’s idea of what hell is and is a fantastic book. I recommended it to Megan afterwards and she liked it too.” 

Co-group leader Mary, who helped to set up the Damien John Kelly Shared Reading group at The Reader, said: “A few years ago we ran a Big Days Out programme giving people a chance to try Shared Reading and PJ who runs Damien John Kelly House brought a group of around 10 guys – at the end he said we should do more. The guys are so open with their thoughts, respectful and supportive of each other it’s really special. You can see their confidence growing over time. What’s nice is that this group is a small piece in the jigsaw of rebuilding their lives. It’s one of the best times of my week.” 

For further information about Damien John Kelly House in Liverpool visit here