An addiction recovery charity has refurbished its treatment centre, thanks to funding from Tesco’s Bags of Help scheme.

The Living Room, based in Watford, was awarded £3,900 through the supermarket’s initiative in November 2017, and used the funding to redecorate its counselling rooms.

The charity provides treatment for drug, alcohol and behavioural addictions. The funding enabled the group to purchase comfortable seating for all 484 of its members. Additionally, all counselling rooms across its three sites in Watford, Stevenage and St Albans were re-painted.

Mark Wiseman, fundraising manager at The Living Room, said: "Our group therapy sessions really are such an important part of the recovery process. They allow our members to gain a deeper understanding of their disorder, while being around a strong support network.

"Thanks to the funding from Tesco, we have been able to provide a soothing and comfortable environment for all of our members. We support up to 20 people per group, so being able to provide comfortable seating really has made a huge difference."

Watford Observer:

Keith Jackson, Tesco’s Bags of Help manager, added: "It’s wonderful to see this project come to life, showing first-hand how a Bags of Help grant can have a positive impact on local communities.

"The service that The Living Room provides for vulnerable members of the local community is hugely commendable, and we’re proud to have played a small part in the great work it does in Watford."

Since launching in 2015, Bags of Help has provided more than 575 community projects with £2 million of funding in Hertfordshire.

Tesco customers get the chance to vote for three different groups every time they shop using the blue token given to them at checkouts.