Local Faces: Trevor Bissett

ADDICTION is a blight on modern society. Barely anyone can say they haven’t experienced the ill effects of addiction, whether to themselves or their loved ones, writes Ken Doyle.

This week’s ‘Face of the Community,’ is a man dedicated to providing light at the end of the tunnel of addiction in Clondalkin, Trevor Bissett.

Trevor, a true blue Dublin man, recently gave The Echo a look inside his life and work, focusing on his fantastic efforts in the difficult and often traumatic and emotional field of Addiction Services.

A man with a musical background and no little talent, Trevor plays drums, guitar, keyboards and is one of the leading lights of the ‘Recovery Choir,’ a Clondalkin based resource that is giving hope and strength to many local people who have found themselves struggling with addiction.

It’s been a long journey for Trevor, from being an early school leaver to a highly trained and experienced service provider doing sterling work with some of the most vulnerable people in society.

As is customary on these pages, we kick off with the early years and Trevor’s were spent in the liberties.

“I was brought up around the Marrowbone Lane area and went to school there and then in Crumlin.

‘At the time, school wasn’t really for me so I left quite young. I did a few jobs before I decided to continue my education when I was around 22 when I went to Pearse College to do my Leaving Cert.”

Trevor certainly made up for lost time in his education as he went from there to UCD, from where, a few years later, he emerged with a shiny Bsc in Psychology. His professional journey too was about to begin in earnest.

“I graduated from UCD in 2002, and went straight into work in employment services, helping people who were out of work for various reasons, get back into it.

‘I found that I was working with a lot of people in addiction, as well as a fair few older people who felt left behind almost by the rapidly changing job market.

‘It was a great grounding and I learned a lot doing that.”

“Soon I got involved in Case Management, looking at the challenges faced by people with substance or alcohol issues.

‘I suppose this strengthened my resolve to work in addiction services.

‘I was struck by the different ways these people found themselves in awful circumstances and I really wanted to aim my career towards helping them achieve their objectives and to show them that there was hope, and a better way.”

Having well and truly decided that education was for him after all, Trevor trained in addiction services to the point where he gained a Masters in Addiction Recovery and accepted a position with the Clondalkin Drug Task Force, which brought him into our orbit.

“I’d had a great grounding in my previous jobs like the Talbot Centre and other things around the inner city, and I was really ready to get stuck in to the challenge  in Clondalkin.

‘Like a lot of people, I had lost friends to addiction and any help I could be in a rapidly expanding community seemed like time well spent.”

So it was that Trevor arrived in Dublin 22 and he wasted no time getting to know the people and the area.

He was involved in task forces and youth work and became a task force coordinator. His approach could always be described as people-focused and he always saw the humanity behind the problem.

“One of the reasons I love my job is the people I meet.

‘I’ve always been very struck by the emotional intelligence of people in addiction.

‘They’ve always got a keen understanding of their issues and just often need a plan in place to overcome them.

‘It’s always important to focus on recovery and the positives of the given situation.

‘We try to take a systemic approach to addiction, given there are biological, cultural and social aspects at work in all cases.

‘I also never have a ‘doctor/patient’ relationship with anyone. They’re people just like the rest of us and there is absolutely nothing better than seeing a person thrive and live a fulfilling life in recovery. It’s what we all strive for.”

As the song goes, into everybody’s life, a little rain must fall and in Trevor and the Clondalkin Drug Task Force’s case, that was COVID.

A lot of services were compromised by the horrendous times we all experienced and addiction doesn’t follow lockdown rules.

It was a big problem and people were struggling. Luckily, the massive Bissett brain was on the case with an idea that would utilise a hitherto under-utilised skillset.

Trevor decided to tap in to the therapeutic quality of music and start a choir.

Now music and its benefits is something we talk about regularly in these pages and here we have a case where it was desperately needed. Trevor, being the musical cove he is, was the ideal man to take the lead.

“Well we had the idea to start the choir to spread a bit of positivity and awareness at a fairly dreadful time.

‘Our initial efforts weren’t great actually. We did it on Zoom and it really didn’t work.

‘Luckily, lockdown ended soon after and we were able to get together and do it properly.

‘Our first meeting was on April 1st 2022 and we were delighted to get around 40 people down.

‘We were picturing them all thinking it was an elaborate April Fool’s joke and not turning up!”

“I must mention a lady named Lisa Price who gave us invaluable help and advice as we were getting started.

‘She was brilliant, and while we’re there, I’d love to thank Gemma Merrigan, Ali Ryan and Cathy Martin for all the work they do for the choir.

‘We’re flying it now and it’s all thanks to people like them.”

The choir was duly named the ‘Recovery Choir’ and it performs all over the area through the year and one of its highlights so far was a huge gig in front of a packed Helix.

Renowned documentary maker Brian Penny got in touch with them after and featured the choir in his documentary ‘Change is Possible.’

Trevor tells me, “This was huge for all of us. We’re constantly fundraising for deserving causes and, touch wood, we’re always in demand. It’s been great.”

Trevor no longer hides his musical light under the proverbial bushel, and away from the choir he has plenty on the docket to be getting on with.

“Well I play drums, which is probably my best instrument for a covers band called ‘The Variants.’ I’m also delighted to say I play in Alice Robinson’s band and played Electric Picnic with both acts in the summer.

‘It was a great experience dampened only slightly by the fact we were on at the same time Kneecap were on the main stage. I plan on keeping my hand in with music in all its forms for the foreseeable future.”

Of course, behind every great man there’s a great woman and in Trevor’s case, that’s his wife Gillian, a Clondalkin girl to her boots.

Together they’re raising Lucy-Ann, 13 and twins James and Grace who are 10. He’s a busy man is Trevor but he wouldn’t have it any other way.

We at The Echo are delighted to have this opportunity to thank Trevor for the great work he does in our community and watch these pages to see what the Recovery Choir does next.

For more information on the Recovery Choir, check out Facebook.com/cdatf