I spent the afternoon last week with Cllr Doe Harry (Chairman of St Erth Parish Council) on a fact-finding visit to Bosence Farm Community near Leedstown.For many years Bosence Farm Community Ltd has been the home of men and women recovering from drug and alcohol addictions. Residents of the community spend up to a year of their lives undergoing an intensive programme designed to give the life-skills and discipline needed to live life free from a dependency on drugs and alcohol.
Bosence Farm Community Ltd is soon to embark on their next ambitious venture – the development of Cornwall’s only Detoxification Centre. Funding and the necessary planning applications have been approved and the new centre will provide up to 15 spaces for people to volunteer for the four week detoxification programme. Patients will then return to where they came from or take part in rehabilitation programmes such as is provided at Bosence Farm Community.
Bosence Farm Community has a proven track record of providing vital support and help to people with very serious addiction problems. Cornwall needs a detoxification centre and Bosence Farm Community is ideally placed to deliver this project. Our visit showed us that residents are subject to a very strict and disciplined programme. This practice has clearly worked and by applying the same approach to this detox centre Bosence will be able to help many people rid themselves of substance abuse and enable them to rebuild their lives
Building work for the new Detoxification Centre is expected to start in April of this year and should be completed in the spring of 2010. The Government are placing greater emphasis on helping clients to access detoxification and rehabilitation services. Currently Cornish residents have very little opportunity to access such help.
We are only too aware of the worrying level of drug and alcohol addicts in West Cornwall. It is in everybody’s interest to see these people achieve and sustain a drug free lifestyle.
