Mark's Story - YouTube launch

Today, we are launching the filmed Personal Story of Mark Saunders, which was also filmed and produced by Jonathan Kerr-Smith. During this 12 minute film (in 3 parts), Mark describes his descent into addiction, the impact that his drug use had on his life, and how he found recovery.

We are extremely proud to see how far Mark has come since the making of this first Wired In film in 2005. His confidence has increased in leaps and bounds, and he is a true inspiration to others that addiction can be overcome and people can go on to live a happy and meaningful life.

Mark continues to be a treasured member of the Wired In team. He thrives on helping others who are affected by substance use problems – his energy, enthusiasm and passion are a joy to see. Mark currently works for SMUG (Substance Misuse User Group) as their Caerphilly rep, where he engages with individuals and groups who are affected by addiction. He also works with local drug services, such as DRUGAID, to try and progress service user involvement. 

Introducing...Wired In films

Using the views and experiences of people whose lives have been affected by addiction, Wired In has produced a catalogue of film material which we will be showing through this Blog.

The feedback that we have received from the people who have been involved in our film projects has been exceptionally positive. Our ‘film stars’ have thrived from being able to share their stories to help other people who are battling with addiction. We always get so much pleasure from showing people their film material – it is amazing to see how happy they are with what they have achieved, and many have described getting a big boost to their self-esteem from being involved in our film projects.

The film material gives hope to others that recovery can be achieved, while also showing the real life side of addiction and the wide range of issues that so often come hand in hand with substance use problems. We hope that you will enjoy watching our film work whilst also learning about addiction and recovery form the true ‘experts’.

The first film that we would like to show you is the Personal Story of Kevin Manley. This 35 minute documentary, filmed and produced by our award winning filmmaker, Jonathan Kerr-Smith, chronicles Kevin’s battle with addiction and how he found his path to recovery. His mother, Kerry, also appears in the film talking about the impact of Kevin’s addiction on her and her family. This moving film is a true testament to how far Kevin has come since overcoming his various drug addictions, and we hope that others are able to learn from it and get hope that addiction can be overcome.

Due to the length of Kevin’s film, we have had to put it onto You Tube in sections. There is also a short version which is an overview of Kevin’s journey.