|PIC1|School students in the Greater Manchester area are to hear the story of a former drug addict-turned-evangelist through a new Religious Education project launching this year.

Barry Woodward was formerly a drug dealer who spent numerous stints in jail and was addicted to heroin for 14 years before an “encounter with God” turned his life around.

He went on to study evangelistic ministry at Cliff Bible College before becoming an ordained minister with the Assemblies of God and launching his own ministry, the Proclaim Trust. In 2007, he published his popular autobiography, ‘Once an Addict.

The RE project will run in secondary schools throughout Greater Manchester, using Woodward’s story as a basis for teaching young people about the Christian faith.

Proclaim Trust has produced two workbooks to be used in the RE and PHSE (Personal and Social and Health Education) lessons, in conjunction with the ‘Once an Addict’ DVD.

Although the project will run in Greater Manchester, the Proclaim Trust plans to make the resources available to teachers and youth workers nationwide over the next 12 months.