From Spice addict to athlete and charity founder

Connor Shannon ran his first marathon in Barnstaple at the end of September

Connor Shannon was 15 years old when he became addicted to Spice, a form of synthetic cannabis, after experimenting with drugs known then as "legal highs".

Over the next ten years he went on a downward spiral, his repeated efforts to quit failed and he was heavily using amphetamines and cannabis.

When he was 25 he had hit "rock bottom" but everything changed after an online running video inspired him to take part in a local Parkrun.

Now 29, Mr Shannon, from Barnstaple in north Devon, has become a marathon runner and triathlete whose charity, Addicts to Athletes, helps dozens of others to recover from substance abuse through getting fit.

Spice was on sale in shops before it was made illegal in 2016

Shops selling so-called legal highs sprang up around the UK from about 2008 until the sale of the drugs were made illegal in May 2016.

Mr Shannon said: "I was in that experimental stage as a teenager and it just completely took control.

"My body would wake itself up in the night and if I didn't have some Spice I'd go into withdrawal and be violently sick."

Mr Shannon was out of out of work and "messing around with the wrong type of people" when he reached his turning point.

When he was 15, Connor Shannon became addicted to Spice

He saw some running videos on YouTube and took himself down to a Parkrun - where people of all ages and abilities meet on a Saturday morning to run 5km - just over three miles.

Mr Shannon said: "It completely changed my life - it was such a change from that reclusiveness and isolation.

"That was the first step. I started running all the time and managed to quickly cut down and stop using."

Mr Shannon said making the transition was "no easy feat" but discovering running and the joy of being outdoors was "a complete game-changer".

"I got a job doing delivery cycling and then started doing triathlons," he said.

Connor Shannon has run marathons and taken part in triathlons

Mr Shannon started to share his experience of recovery online and the comments he received prompted him to set up the non-profit organisation Addicts to Athletes, which is now in the process of registering as a charity.

He successfully applied for a £2,000 grant from Devon Community Foundation, which enabled him to get branded sports kit for members and volunteers and he has been invited by Barnstaple Town Council to take part in events at the Jobcentre and the library.

He said: "Getting that support is amazing and helps us to battle all of the stigma that exists around addiction."

Mr Shannon works with other team leaders to help about 40 people fighting addiction in Barnstaple through running, cycling and hiking groups and also helps others around the country in online sessions.

Myles Weston served in the British Army for 14 years

One of the group leaders is Myles Weston, an army veteran who served for 14 years with the Royal Logistic Corps including several active tours.

He said he started drinking when he was 14 and struggled particularly when he left the military - ending up homeless.

"I just decided I never wanted to be in this position again," he said.

Mr Weston said fitness was "a big part of recovery" and when he heard about the work of Addicts to Athletes online he got in touch with them.

He now leads group runs and works with individual clients, using his experience gained from the Army to help others get fit and recover from addiction.

Connor Shannon set up Addicts to Athletes to help other people recover from substance misuse

Looking back on his time as an addict, Mr Shannon said: "It's so rewarding and motivating to know I've come this far and I've completely changed.

"Sometimes it's sad to look back and know that's who I was but it's a massive relief now, not just for me but for my friends and my family.

"We want to show that it is possible to change and to recover.

"The goal is to have run and cycle leaders in different cities around the UK and just to keep expanding this - Addicts to Athletes - it started in north Devon but the goal is to make this wider."