A crowdfunding campaign has been launched to help keep open a volunteer service helping men with addiction in prisons.

The Recovery Café staffed by volunteers lost funding last year but the worker who co-ordinates it has kept it going, using her own savings.

Natalie Maclean, developed the award winning service at Barlinnie and Shotts prisons over the last five years and estimates that more than £1m has been saved to the taxpayer, supporting around 1000 prisoners.

The Recovery Café provides prisoners with support to get off drugs and to help them be drug free and prevent homelessness on release to reduce the risk of re-offending.

Ms Maclean, who is also Community Director with Faces and Voices of Recovery (Favor) Scotland, said she has now run out of savings to cover volunteers expenses.

Ms Maclean said: “Last year after we lost the funding, I carried on delivering the services and paying volunteer expenses out of my savings account. I have no savings left and need support to allow me to continue delivering an outcome person centred approach.”

She said in partnership with Favor UK the Recovery Café has applied for a funding grant but will not have a decision until April. She is looking to raise £5000 to keep the café going until then.

Ms Maclean added: “We help prisoners build relationships with external services and try to offer vital mentor support to prevent homelessness upon release. We have a great success rate and have now supported the rehabilitation process with over 1000 prisoners.

“I have a volunteer staff team who have continued to be the backbone of the work we do inside and outside prison.”

Ms Maclean has been campaigning with Favor for greater investment in residential rehabilitation to reduce the rising drug deaths in Scotland.

She added: “I’m not a do-gooder on a mission to save the world, I simply have my own story of pain. I have two family members who both left prison in a black bag, beaten by drugs and defeated by addiction and a broken system.

“This money would allow us to continue our mentoring roles within the prison and support all volunteers to cover their travel expenses.”

The fundraiser can be found at https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/natalie-loganmaclean-1