The English drug charity Streetwise Charitable Trust, originally formed in 1992 to address an increase in drug abuse in the London Borough of Newham, is setting up a detox centre on an old fort built during World War One, unused for the last 35 years. Situated in the mouth of the river Humber near Grimsby, on the east coast of England, Bull Sands Fort was originally built on a concrete island to protect industries and Royal Navy fuel bunkers.

The charity bought the freehold in 1997 with the intention of turning its remote location to the advantage of a potential 240 addicts a month, in an on-demand, free, 30-day detoxification program, away from outside pressures (including their dealers). According to Streetwise trustee Philip Ball, in an interview with the BBC, it is a lack of funds that is the main stumbling block in getting the centre up and running on an ongoing basis. (He reckons that with a million pounds they could have it set up in six months.) Appeals to the British government as well as other agencies have thus far fallen on deaf ears. Ball sees the island treatment centre as perhaps the last hope for die-hard addicts near the end of their lives and their luck.

While I can’t imagine that any centre can completely guarantee isolation from the outside world, this proposed site stands, one would think, a good chance of getting close. At least, that is, for 30 days. When the mainland is returned to, then the real challenge of isolating bad influences and finding inner strength, with the help of solid foundations such as friends and family, begins.

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