A TREE symbolising new beginnings has been planted in Greenock to help people on their recovery journey.

Members of the Your Voice lived experience network teamed up with Belville Community Garden to plant a birch tree in honour of National Recovery Month.

The betula silver shadow birch tree was placed in its home in Belville's biodiversity garden as a symbol of a new start.

Chris McCann from the lived experience network helped plant the tree and says the timing is very fitting.

He said: "Birch trees symbolise new beginnings and a cleansing of the past so this definitely ties in with recovery.

"Recovery can take a lot of different forms and can be about coming back from mental health issues or a form of addiction.

"We want to raise awareness of Recovery Month and show people that there's a lot of support here in Inverclyde."

Your Voice has organised an event at St Mary's Hall on 29 September to mark Inverclyde Recovery Day.

The recovery jam takes place place every Wednesday at Your Voice, and the recovery hub runs at 7 1/2 John Wood Street in Port Glasgow.

People can also pop along to the recovery cafe at the Crown Care Day Centre on Fridays, and Chris leads a Paths For All recovery walk on Tuesdays.

Isobel Dempster, recovery development co-ordinator at Your Voice, said she hopes the tree will help people to focus on the future and put the past behind them.

She said: "There are plenty of opportunities here in Inverclyde for people to reach out if they're looking for a bit of support.

"We can help them get out of the house and get some support from the community.

"This is all about starting afresh."

Sally Clough of Belville Community Garden said: "We're delighted to let the lived experience network use this land to plant the tree to mark Recovery Month."

To find out more about the lived experience network contact Your Voice on 01475 728628.