Mayors from across the county joined with The Mayor of St Albans at a special service to celebrate the first anniversary of an addiction charity.

Service users from the Living Room, based in Hatfield Road, spoke about their treatment at the thanksgiving service held on Sunday, January 19 at St Paul’s Church, in St Albans.

They described their lives before and after recovery from addictions to alcohol, sugar, and other substances. One woman described the support she has received as a relative of an addict.

Also taking part in the anniversary service were supporters and friends of the charity.

The city’s mayor, Annie Brewster, and Stuart Lewis, Deputy Lieutenant of Hertfordshire, both did readings.

The Mayor of St Albans said: "I want to thank Janis Feely, the charity’s founder, and her incredible team of trustees, counsellors and supporters for coming to St Albans. What they have achieved in their first year is just amazing, and it is a privilege to support them as the main charity for my mayoral year.

"On behalf of St Albans District, I want to say how grateful we are for the local lives they have restored, are restoring, and will restore in the future."

Since the addiction treatment centre opened its doors in St Albans last year, it has accepted 130 referrals for people living with a range of addictions. The charity’s results show that 69 per cent of its clients have either left the service abstinent or are still actively engaged.

Mayors from Dacorum, Harpenden, Hertford, Stevenage, Welwyn and Hatfield also attended the service, showing their support for the charity.

Other supporters at the service included Councillor Peter Ruffles MBE, Mayor of Hertford; Jack Pickersgill, Mayor of Stevenage, and the Deputy Mayor of St Albans Brian Gibbard,.

Penny Hearn, Mayor of Dacorum, Howard Morgan, Mayor of Welwyn and Hatfield, Rosemary Farmer, Mayor of Harpenden, Mary Maynard, Deputy Mayor of Harpenden also attended.

Janis Feely MBE, Founder and CEO of The Living Room, said: "This is a very special day for us and I am most grateful to our clients and all those who have supported us in our journey so far. The Living Room St Albans received 130 referrals in its first year, of people living with addictions, and of the friends and families of addicts.

"I am grateful to Canon Tony Hurle for hosting this service. I want to thank everyone who has come to our first anniversary, in particular Mr Stuart Lewis, Deputy Lieutenant, and Mayors from all over Hertfordshire."