
Rotherham man wins award for helping others find sobriety
When Darren Fox said he hit "rock bottom" at the worst of his alcoholism in 2019, he was homeless and slept in a box car at a railway siding.Now, after being sober for five years, the 62-year-old from Rotherham is being recognised for his voluntary work with the drug and alcohol charity that helped him recover.He has been given the Determined Volunteer Award by charity WithYou for his work helping other people struggling with addiction."I'm not afraid to say to people when they come into the service that I used to have the same kind of problem - if I can do it, they can," he said.
Darren said he first starting drinking recreationally before it "spiralled out of control"."I grew up in a very working-class area of Sheffield, my father was a steelworker, everybody around me were drinkers - a lot of it stemmed from that," he said."Most of the jobs I went into, they had their own drinking cultures attached to them, so it was hard not to go out for a drink."However, he said his ex-wife did not approve of how much alcohol he drank, so he began to do it in secret, hiding bottles where he didn't think anyone would find them."Obviously, they did - the only person I was actually lying to was myself."
If you are affected by the issues raised in this story, you can visit the BBC Action Line for support.
His addiction grew worse and he said he became "full-blown alcohol dependent"."I had no money, nothing, living on the streets - absolutely horrendous."Things changed when he discovered WithYou, which supported him to give up drinking, and he attended the New Beginnings rehabilitation and detox service in Doncaster."It's been a lifesaver for me, there's no doubt whatsoever I wouldn't be here now. I'd be dead," he said."There's no easy way through it, you've just to keep battering away. It's hard, it hurts, it's painful, and it seems like it's never-ending."But, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and people can get through it."
He started volunteering for WithYou in May 2024, and said he now used his own experiences to help others."There's no one-size-fits-all, we explain from day one that their recovery journey depends on them, but we are here to help and support them," he said."The best bit about my job is when someone does come through the other side, the light comes back into their eyes, and their life just takes off - it's absolutely amazing."He said that being recognised by the charity left him "chuffed to bits", but it had also "made the day" of his daughter, Elizabeth Fox, 32."My daughter's been with me the whole way, she's been my absolute rock."I know it should be the other way around and I'm the parent, but if it hadn't been for my daughter, I wouldn't be here now."She's seen me at my absolute low and she's seen me get better - she's my best mate."I can see the pride in her eyes now, and that means the world to me."WithYou recovery worker Lucy Boyes praised Darren for providing "support, knowledge, experience and compassion to both the clients and the staff".She said: "His determination is inspiring to not only the clients, but also to the staff at Rotherham, as he demonstrates a passion and commitment to the role."
Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds or catch up with the latest episode of Look North.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Scottish Sun
4 days ago
- Scottish Sun
Vicious XL Bully ripped man's EAR off after pouncing while he slept leaving him with horror injuries – as woman arrested
"It was like a horror movie. My whole face was covered in blood" DEVIL DOG ATTACK Vicious XL Bully ripped man's EAR off after pouncing while he slept leaving him with horror injuries – as woman arrested A MAN had his ear ripped off by a vicious XL Bully - after the banned breed pounced on him while he was asleep. Darren Shuttleworth-Long was brutally attacked by the dog, which he was looking after, after he fell asleep on April 26. Advertisement 7 Darren volunteers at his local church Credit: SWNS 7 Darren woke up with the dog latched onto his arm Credit: SWNS To his horror, the 52-year-old awoke to discover the dog's jaw locked underneath his armpit. Pancaking, Darren managed to get the dog off him but the hound came back for more and launched a second attack on him. During the second attack the XL Bully bit Darren's right ear, ripping it off. Darren finally struggled away from the out of control dog and was rushed to hospital. Advertisement He spent three days recovering from the horror attack in the ICU (intensive care unit) at Bristol's Southmead Hospital. Darren is currently waiting to have his ear reconstructed with plastic surgery. Wiltshire Police have confirmed that a 24-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control and causing injury. She has been released on bail pending further inquiries while police probe the horrific attack. Advertisement Darren, from Swindon, Wiltshire, said: "I went to sleep and had the dog asleep next to me. "I woke up and it had latched on the side of me. I managed to move it off. "It attacked me again and hit me on the side. "I crashed against the bedroom door and locked myself in with the dog. Advertisement "He was having a go on my right ear. He bit my ear off. "He hit me about eight to ten times - I thought 'I'm in serious trouble'." 7 He was rushed to hospital after managing to escape the violent dog Credit: SWNS 7 The attack left Darren with serious injuries Credit: SWNS Advertisement 7 Darren's right ear was ripped clean off during the brutal attack Credit: SWNS Darren says the attack was unprovoked and lasted for an agonising ten minutes before he was luckily able to escape the dog. He added: "My whole right side of my face was numb. There was blood everywhere. "It was pouring out of me. It was like a horror movie. My whole face was covered in blood. Half my nose was hanging off." Advertisement After arriving in hospital he had what was left of his savaged ear stitched up. He said: "The tissue had to come off - there was nothing to attach it to." He has since been recovering from the attack and now struggles with going out. He said: "I can't go anywhere near big dogs now. Advertisement "It's a long lasting stress that will be there for the rest of my life. "Dogs barking sends cold chills through me." Darren is currently waiting for the soft tissue left on his ear to harden before he can have an appointment with a plastic surgeon to look at reconstruction. Which dog breeds are banned in the UK? THERE are specific regulations in place that prohibit certain dog breeds from being owned or bred in the UK. So what are the illegal dogs in the UK and why are they illegal? Here's what we know. Which dog breeds are illegal in the UK? People tend to think of large, vicious dogs when they imagine being bitten by one. But the truth is that many types of dogs are known to bite humans, whether provoked or not. However, it's important to remember that just because a breed tends to bite humans, that doesn't mean that they all do. British law determines five breeds of dog are illegal to own, breed, sell or give away. These are an XL Bully, Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino and Fila Brasileiro. 7 The vicious hound began the attack while Darren was asleep Credit: SWNS Advertisement


Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Daily Mirror
XL Bully rips man's ear off while he's asleep with his nose left 'hanging off'
WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGES: Darren Shuttleworth-Long, from Swindon, Wiltshire was asleep when an aggressive XL Bully attacked him out of the blue, leaving him badly injured A church volunteer was viciously attacked by an XL Bully while he was asleep, with the banned breed ripping off the man's ear. Darren Shuttleworth-Long was looking after the dog, which isn't his, when he was set upon on April 26 earlier this year at an address in Exeter Street, Swindon. The 52-year-old had fallen asleep next to the pet but woke up to it with its jaw locked underneath his armpit. The dog continued to attack and bite Darren, from Swindon, Wiltshire, for around 10 minutes. The XL Bully managed to tear his right ear off and also left half of Darren's nose "hanging off". Darren, a volunteer at his local church, said: "I went to sleep and had the dog asleep next to me. I woke up and it had latched on the side of me. I managed to move it off. "It attacked me again and hit me on the side. I crashed against the bedroom door and locked myself in with the dog. He was having a go on my right ear. He bit my ear off. He hit me about eight to ten times - I thought 'I'm in serious trouble'." Darren says the attack was unprompted and lasted for around ten minutes before he was able to get away from the dog. He said: "My whole right side of my face was numb. "There was blood everywhere. It was pouring out of me. It was like a horror movie. My whole face was covered in blood. Half my nose was hanging off." After Darren was finally able to get away from the dog, he was rushed to Bristol's Southmead Hospital where he spent three days in ICU and had what was left of his ear stitched up. He said: "The tissue had to come off - there was nothing to attach it to." Now he is awaiting plastic surgery to have his ear reconstructed. Wiltshire Police confirmed a 24-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control causing injury. She has been released on bail pending further enquiries. Darren has been recovering since and now struggles to go out. He said: "I can't go anywhere near big dogs now. It's a long lasting stress that will be there for the rest of my life now." He is waiting for the soft tissue on his ear to harden before he can then have an appointment with a plastic surgeon to look at reconstruction. Darren said: "Dogs barking sends cold chills through me." Since February 1, 2024, owning the XL Bully breed has become a criminal offence in England and Wales unless owners have an exemption certificate and anyone who owns one of the dogs needs to have the animal neutered and microchipped. Owners must now register and neuter them, and keep them muzzled and on a lead in public. It is illegal to breed or pass them on. The number of attacks by XL Bullies is expected to decrease over the next decade in correlation with a decline in ownership of the dogs. XL Bullies have been blamed for at least 17 fatal attacks since 2020.


Wales Online
4 days ago
- Wales Online
XL bully rips off man's ear after pouncing on him as he slept
XL bully rips off man's ear after pouncing on him as he slept Darren said the attack was unprompted and lasted for around 10 minutes Darren Shuttleworth-Long (Image: Darren Shuttleworth-Long/SWNS ) A man has told how an XL bully ripped off his right ear - after the banned breed pounced on him while he was asleep. Darren Shuttleworth-Long, 52, was attacked by the dog on April 26. He was looking after the pet and fell asleep next to it when he woke up to it with its jaw locked underneath his armpit. Darren managed to move it off him, but the dog then continued to attack him and managed to bite off his right ear in the process. He was finally able to get away from the dog and was taken to Bristol's Southmead Hospital where he spent three days in ICU. Now he is awaiting plastic surgery to have his ear reconstructed. Wiltshire police confirmed a 24-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control, causing injury. She has been released on bail pending further enquiries. Darren, a volunteer at his local church, from Swindon, Wiltshire, said: "I went to sleep and had the dog asleep next to me. I woke up and it had latched on the side of me. "I managed to move it off. It attacked me again and hit me on the side. I crashed against the bedroom door and locked myself in with the dog. Article continues below "He was having a go on my right ear. He bit my ear off. He hit me about eight to ten times - I thought 'I'm in serious trouble'." Darren Shuttleworth-Long was attacked by the banned dog on April 26 (Image: Darren Shuttleworth-Long/SWNS ) Darren said the attack was unprompted and lasted for around 10 minutes before he was able to get away from the dog. He said: "My whole right side of my face was numb. There was blood everywhere. It was pouring out of me. "It was like a horror movie. My whole face was covered in blood. Half my nose was hanging off." Darren was rushed to hospital and had what was left of his ear stitched up. He said: "The tissue had to come off - there was nothing to attach it to." Darren has been recovering since and struggles to go out. He said: "I can't go anywhere near big dogs now. It's a long lasting stress that will be there for the rest of my life now." Darren Shuttleworth-Long's injuries (Image: Darren Shuttleworth-Long/SWNS ) He is waiting for the soft tissue on his ear to harden before he can then have an appointment with a plastic surgeon to look at reconstruction. Darren said: "Dogs barking sends cold chills through me." Article continues below Wiltshire Police confirmed a woman was arrested, but no charges have been made while officers make further enquiries. Since February 1, 2024, owning the XL Bully breed has become a criminal offence in England and Wales unless owners have an exemption certificate and anyone who owns one of the dogs needs to have the animal neutered and microchipped.