My brother Colin died nearly five years ago of illness brought on by long-term alcohol and drug addiction. He was a kind and thoughtful man who tried to outrun his demons but never succeeded for more than a few months at a time. People looked askance at him in the streets and avoided sitting near him on buses. Apart from his few friends, and some people for whom he did the occasional gardening or building job, the only ones to treat him without judgement were the workers at Open Road. They were unfailingly polite and always willing to help, especially with the paperwork needed to get Colin and his methadone to Portugal to spend some holidays with us (see the picture below). I could not keep my brother alive, but Colin's memory continues. I have written Holding my Breath, a personal memoir of Colin's life that also offers some advice on how to support a loved one who has drug and alcohol problems. There are so many of us.

The book has raised a few funds for Open Road, but my husband and I are now at the 'bucket list' age and wanted to do more. Our combined ages are 153 years, so we shouldn't wait too long - but that's 90 years more than Colin had :-) We have planned a tandem skydive in Australia in January 2025, when we are visiting my son who lives there. We're jumping with SkyDive Noosa and want to raise £1000 for Open Road Visions. That's 100 people giving £10 each, and it's enough to make a huge difference to a lot of lives. So now I'm really going to be 'Holding my Breath'!

Thank you in advance to our friends and relatives and to Open Road supporters. Everyone knows someone with these problems. We may not be able to keep them alive, but by supporting this charity we can surely help somebody else. Laura