In our latest podcast, we are joined by John Doyle, Outreach Practitioner with Recovery near You, the substance misuse service for Wolverhampton. John joins Paul Burns and Dawn Walls from the Good Shepherd, to highlight the impact of partnership work between different charities and agencies across the city to support people going through recovery.

John also shares his own powerful Recovery story after his own journey through substance abuse, homelessness and experiences with the criminal justice system. "I do this job not for money but because this is what I am meant to do," he says. "This is where I am meant to be in life."

Ahead of Recovery Month in September, the trio discuss their work alongside others from the city in supporting people and how, whilst there have been so many improvements in this area in recent years, there is still more work to be done.

For our latest Good Shepherd podcast, we return to the subject of art, and the series of workshops which are being delivered as part of the Arts Council England funding, leading up to the exhibition to mark Recovery Month at the Newhampton Art Centre and Wolverhampton Art Gallery in September.

We are delighted to be joined by Hannah Boyd-McKee, artist, tutor and creative practitioner, who led a series of workshops focused on painting and drawing. Hannah was then joined by Matt and Henok, both of whom attended the workshops and both of whom have been key parts of the overall ACE project.

Matt, known as Matt the artist, is an art tutor himself, who shares his own powerful story of Recovery after his battle with alcoholism, whilst Henok, who was recently handed settled status to remain in this country after fleeing from war and persecution in Ethiopia.

All three of our guests speak brilliantly about their lives and challenges and the power that art can bring to Recovery.

Good Shepherd Operations Manager Lee Smith is blazing a trail – quite literally – by taking on a gruelling fundraising challenge to raise funds for the charity which supports people experiencing homeless and vulnerability across Wolverhampton.

Lee is taking on an eight-hour fitness marathon of successive sessions of the Blaze workout, a type of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) gym-based exercise which combines cardio-vascular work with strength, boxing and martial arts skills.

This will take place at the David Lloyd Club in Dudley.

Blaze Supervisor Niamh Norton from David Lloyd and club members have all been extremely supportive and are getting involved in the challenge.

In our latest podcast, Lee and Niamh chat about the challenge, the importance of exercise both for positive physical and mental health, and the work of the Good Shepherd.