Back in September 2024, we held an auction at our special ‘red carpet’ reunion in our 50th anniversary year. One of the auction lots was to have one of the bedrooms named after themselves or someone they choose. We had a winning bidder and they chose to name the room after their friend, John Kennedy (pictured above), who came into treatment at Broadway Lodge in 2005.
Once John completed treatment, he later returned as a volunteer and then in a paid post as a support worker for a period of time, lifting spirits in the house with his witty, bubbly, friendly and caring personality.
John has written a brief summary of his journey into Broadway Lodge which is forever encapsulated on a plaque and fixed in the corridor outside of bedroom 25 (now known as ‘The Kennedy Room’), located on the ground floor opposite the lift.
On the 22nd October, John returned to Broadway Lodge to see the plaque in place and it was wonderful to see him again, smiling and happy in his 20th year of recovery.
A big thank you to the bidder and to John, for making this happen.
The plaque reads:
I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone at Broadway Lodge – both those who came before me and those who will come after.
My life began with a background marked by violence and crime, where love was scarce and, when it was shown, often came at a cost. For many years, I found myself in various institutions – from children’s homes to category A prisons and even spending five consecutive years in the high-security mental institution of Rampton. However, on the 5th of December 2005, I entered treatment at Broadway Lodge and completed my journey on the 16th of July 2006. Today, I am approaching my 20th year of complete abstinence and I’m frequently asked what led me to be where I am today. The answer is simple: it was the unconditional love and compassion shown to me by the staff and peers at Broadway Lodge.
Their support was the catalyst for my transformation, and it is through that love and understanding that I was able to start anew.
JOHN KENNEDY, 2025
former client at Broadway Lodge
