Chris Saunders
To countless young people whose shattered lives he's helped rebuild, drugs worker Chris Saunders is a beacon of hope. Considering the long road he has travelled himself, his success is even more remarkable.
At 13, he started smoking cannabis. By 14, he was dabbling in amphetamines and ecstasy and had a driving ban for motorbike theft. At 18, he was in prison and addicted to heroin. Soon he was using crack cocaine and dealing in drugs.
"By rights, I should be dead," says Chris, now 33, from North Devon. "I spent my childhood lonely and afraid, due to school bullying. That first time in prison hardened my heart."
In his early twenties, he spent £300 a day on drugs and was injecting heroin into his groin. Eventually, this caused 17 internal abscesses and MRSA.
In hospital, Chris plummeted from 12st to 9st - dangerously underweight for his 6ft 4in frame. Against all odds, he survived but was jailed again, aged 26, in 2003 for drugs offences - his 176th conviction. During his sentence, a friend died of a heroin overdose. Finally forced to assess his life, Chris requested to be placed on a rehabilitation programme.
On his release from prison two years later, he returned to Devon to stay at Ovis Farm, a supported housing project for men, some of whom have had drug and alcohol addictions, established by the charity House Of Heroes. He then set up a handyman business, with the help of the Prince's Trust who gave him a loan to buy a van.
Two years later, his Prince's Trust mentor suggested another opportunity - Ovis Farm needed a new manager. Despite worrying he wasn't up to the job, Chris secured the position thanks to his enthusiasm. "I realised this was my reason for living," he says. "Helping others was my purpose."
In addition to managing Ovis Farm, he also looks after two other House Of Heroes centres. He is on call 24/7 and always asks potential residents to get to Ovis Farm within 48 hours. "If they make excuses, I know they're not ready," he says. "But I often find myself driving to Bristol or Birmingham straightaway to pick them up." Residents have counselling sessions, look after the farm's animals and have helped build an extension. "A man may be an addict but he may also be a talented carpenter," says Chris.
He's now married to Amanda, 30, and has a baby son, Zac, and two step-daughters, Emma, 12, and Holly, 10. "My parents call Zac the grandchild they never thought they'd have," he says. "I wouldn't be here without the support of the Prince's Trust, but I'd particularly like to thank Judge McKintosh who jailed me that last time. I want to tell him how grateful I am."