A PRESTWICK man who overcame a heroin addiction thanks to a four-year spell in Italy has launched his own candle business.

Ross McKenzie, originally from Aberdeen, set up Nera Luxury Candles to help support addiction services in the region.

Now 32, he got involved in drugs at a young age and has admitted that his life was “spiralling out of control”.

He said: “I was taking drugs and drinking, and I became dependant on alcohol to socialise with people because I had bad social anxiety.

“When I was 22 I had an addiction to heroin, and I tried rehab a few times but it just didn’t work.

“I was overdosing and on the verge, so I knew something had to change. My aunt in Italy told me about a recovery community, where you go and work for three or four years.

(Image: Contributed) “I knew that nothing else was working, so I made the decision to go over and thankfully it worked for me.”

Ross was handed a fantastic opportunity to work as part of a drug support service in South Ayrshire in 2022, and grabbed it with both hands.

He said: “During my last year in Italy, a guy came over to talk about the River Garden project at Auchincruive, which is based on the same model.

“He asked me to come and help us out, and I stayed there for a few months and got involved to support others.”

Ross has now poured his experiences into creating a product that serves as a beacon of hope, which seeks to raise awareness of addiction.

He added: “I had developed an interest in candles and wanted to connect them to addiction.

“At the end of every year, a percentage from the profits will go to addiction organisations to help others who were in the same situation as me.

(Image: Contributed) “All the names of the candles symbolise part of the recovery journey, and hopefully they can really help people.

“The first week was quite busy and I have been getting good feedback, so now it’s just about building up a customer base and getting it into shops.

“I always say that one of the most important things is to have a purpose and getting up every day.”

For more information go to www.neraluxurycandles.com.