14/04/2026
We really wanted to share our tenants success story 💫 A massive well done Sheridan 🏠🏡💛
My name is Sheridan. I spent approximately five months living at Bright Start Homes in Preston. To fully understand what that time means to me, it’s important to understand the state I arrived in.
When I came to Bright Start, I was completely broken. I was addicted to crack co***ne, struggling with suicidal thoughts, and had lost everything that once gave my life structure and meaning, my job, my finances, and most painfully, access to my children. I felt hopeless, ashamed, and alone. Walking into a completely unfamiliar place, in such a vulnerable state, was incredibly daunting. I didn’t believe things could change for me. I was just surviving day to day.
But from the moment I arrived, something began to shift.
I was welcomed in a way I had never experienced before. Not judged, not labelled, just accepted. The environment at Bright Start was one of genuine care, compassion, and understanding. The staff didn’t just do a job, they showed real love and belief in me, even when I couldn’t see anything worth believing in myself. Beth and Zoe, in particular, went above and beyond. They didn’t just support me they stood by me, encouraged me, and challenged me when I needed it. They treated me with dignity at a time when I felt I had none.
Bright Start gave me more than just a place to stay, it gave me the foundation to rebuild my entire life.
One of the most powerful parts of my journey there was being introduced and guided into Co***ne Anonymous. With their support, I found a sponsor and began working through the 12-step program. That process helped me understand myself, my addiction, and my behaviours on a much deeper level. It gave me tools to live differently, not just to stop using. Recovery became more than abstinence, it became a complete change in the way I think and live.
I was also trusted with responsibility, which played a huge role in rebuilding my confidence. Being given the opportunity to run the men’s group within the home was something I never imagined I’d be capable of. It gave me purpose, accountability, and the chance to support others who were going through similar struggles. That experience alone helped me realise I had value again.
The support I received wasn’t limited to recovery meetings. Bright Start helped me take practical steps towards independence and stability. I was supported into voluntary work with Red Rose Recovery, which helped me re-enter the world with a sense of purpose.
I enrolled in a Level 2 counselling course at college, something I never thought I’d have the confidence or ability to do. I was also taught essential life skills like budgeting, which gave me control over my finances and helped me feel like a responsible adult again.
What stands out most is that Bright Start didn’t just help me get clean, they helped me rebuild my identity.
Today, my life is something I once thought was impossible. I have remained clean since leaving Bright Start. I have moved into my own home with my partner, and we are expecting a baby together. I have regained access to my children and am rebuilding those relationships, which means more to me than anything. I now have full-time employment and a sense of stability and direction in my life.
I have completed the 12-step program, and today I am sponsoring someone else, guiding them through the same process that helped save my life. That, to me, is one of the greatest privileges I could have, and it’s something that would never have been possible without the foundation Bright Start gave me.
Bright Start Homes didn’t just offer me support, they offered me hope when I had none. They helped me believe that change was possible, and more importantly, they showed me how to achieve it.
I arrived there broken, lost, and without purpose. I left with hope, direction, and a completely new way of living.
I will carry that with me for the rest of my life, and I will always be deeply grateful.
Many thanks and much love to Brightstart Homes and all the staff for what they do day in day out!
Sheridan.
