40 cyclists making recovery visible in local communities

A GROUP of almost 40 cyclists who are in recovery from addiction recently cycled from Ballymun to the Tallaght Rehabilitation Project (TRP) in Jobstown.

They were greeted by a crowd of over 200 at the finish line, including family, friends, drug project workers and community gardaí, and got to enjoy a family fun day after their challenging cycle.

On Saturday, May 13, the cyclists from Tús Nua in Clondalkin, TRP and the Ballymun Youth Project embarked on the cycle under the heading of Connecting Communities Through Recovery.

They were met by community gardaí at Brookfield, who then gave them an escort up to TRP where the family fun day was held.

Pat Daly, the manager of TRP, told The Echo: “We had beautiful weather, and people were saying it was an excellent event that connected communities through recovery.

“The lads cycling from Ballymun to Tallaght was a huge feature of the day, and the guards escorted them from Brookfield through west Tallaght to TRP. It felt like the Tour de France.

Community Gardai and members of the community supporting the cyclists

“The event is one of the key aspects in making recovery visible in communities suffering from substance abuse and it’s important for people to see that there’s a recovery community in the area.

“The whole message was that recovery is visible in the community and we’re connecting with other communities that have similar issues.

“It’s just another positive intervention being made for people in recovery. It shows that there is a way out of addiction, and there is a path there for people who want to take it.”

TRP would like to thank Tallaght gardaí, all the projects that were involved, the clients and their families, TRP Staff, Nan’s Food Truck, and the other food venders on the day.

For more information on drug projects in the area, visit tallaghtdatf or clondalkindrugstaskforce.