'Alcohol ruled my life – now my eyes are open'

A recovering alcoholic who says he once drank up to 23 cans of beer a day has told how volunteering helped him rebuild his life after years of addiction.

Daniel Norrish, 57, from Swindon, Wiltshire, said his drinking spiralled after he was made redundant during the Covid pandemic, leaving him drinking beer and spirits from morning until night.

Now two years sober, Norrish volunteers for FoodCycle Swindon – a charity that turns surplus supermarket food into free community meals.

"With Daniel it's such a great reminder that when you show kindness to others it can have a kind of ripple effect," said Jemma Pembury, regional manager for the charity.

Norrish said he was an alcoholic "for most of my life".

"I got so bad I just made myself ill, drinking all day and all night and first thing in the morning," he said.

After spending 13 weeks in rehab, he was determined to change his life.

He now says his "eyes are open for the first time" and cooking for the local community has given him purpose, routine and connection.

"I've been volunteering for nearly two-and-a-half years now and I've done every meal," Norrish said.

"It makes me feel good, it makes me think about what I'm doing, helping people, great bunch of people here we serve, we can't get enough of us."

The charity runs community meals from Pinetrees Community Centre in Swindon on Thursday evenings.

It aims to help reduce food waste while offering a space for conversation and connection.

Nick White, 56, who also volunteers for the charity, said: "There's never been a week that Danny's not been here and that is quite something.

"You know what Danny's strengths are, you know the food is going to be really good and we can have a bit of a laugh as well."

82-year-old Eileen Huck, who attends the community meal every week with her neighbour Carole Butler, said: "Everybody is so friendly and they interact and it's really nice.

"When we go home, we're always laughing and it makes us feel good."

Butler added: "It is a chance to talk to people, nobody actually just sits there, they all come round or we go round and talk to them."

Pembury said the charity, which also runs community meals in Bristol and Bath, needs more volunteers to come forward during the summer.

"People go on holiday or the kids are at home so they have less time," she added.

"But we need a certain amount of volunteers to make sure the session can go ahead.

"There's lots of different ways to volunteer as well so whether or not it's cooking or hosting."

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