'Suddenly, I Had a Little Bit of Hope'

This article shares the story of Lucy Bryson, who was hooked on crack cocaine and heroin when she was 17, and was working the streets to fund her addiction. Her future looked bleak when she was imprisoned four years ago but a project that builds trust and responsibility in young people by teaching them to work with animals has transformed her life. When she went to the prison chapel, Lucy met a group of young women from Victory Outreach UK, an organisation which provides "Christian homes" for vulnerable young people, including ex-offenders, drug addicts, alcoholics and the homeless. She joined a project run by one of the organisation's homes, based near Usk in South Wales, which helps young people break down barriers in their lives through caring for animals. Working at the project, she saw the difference working with animals could make to damaged young people and wanted to be a part of it. Four years on, Lucy is Animal Manager at the centre, helping "broken" young people, many with backgrounds as difficult as her own, rebuild their lives. Today, Lucy is a different person. She is now considered as a role model to the young people she works with.