A charity which provides support to hundreds of drug addicts and their relatives has announced it is expanding its service. 

For the first time in its 30 year history, One North East (1NE) in The Broadway, Woodford Green, is offering its service to anyone who needs and wants help fighting drug and alcohol-related addiction in Epping Forest, London and the south-east. 

The abstinence-based service takes on self-referrals and those from the emergency services and medical professionals by first enrolling addicts on a daily two-week programme. 

Over the years, the charity has faced financial uncertainty with Waltham Forest deciding not to renew its contract in 2008 and the funding for its relative support service in 2010.

But its future for the next five years was secured in June last year after it received a vital £350,000 grant from the Big Lottery Fund. 

However, from March 2015, the service will no longer be free to Redbridge residents after the council put the service out to tender earlier this year and the charity was not selected. 

Clinical manager Jo Blackhedge says the charity which has a success rate of 70 per cent "was very limited in the past."

She said: "This is about opening the service up which is already easily accessible from Woodford tube station. 

"Our programme is very effective with a success rate far higher than the national average, and 90 per cent of the management committee are ex-members. 

"This is a really exciting new venture for 1NE and fulfils our desire to make our service available to a much wider audience and truly change the lives of thousands of people."

From next week, the charity will be launching a new initiative to help clients when they are most likely to relapse by offering group therapy sessions and workshops on Saturdays. 

Patron MP Iain Duncan Smith was at the launch event on Friday at Packfords Hotel in Snakes Lane West, Woodford Green.