Ex-addict to be buried for three days in premature deaths warning
A recovered alcoholic and drug addict will be buried for three days to raise awareness of premature deaths caused by addiction.
John Edwards, who founded the Walking Free charity which works with suicidal addicts and their families, will be buried in an 8ft long, 3.5ft high and 4ft wide coffin at 8pm on Friday.
He plans to spend 72 hours underground at the Threeways Centre complex in Halifax, from where he will live stream the event.
Mr Edwards, 61, will receive food and water through a pipe while another pipe will remove waste.
He admitted that it was a "radical idea" but said that they needed to "put the net out before people fall into a coffin" because of their addiction.
"We are putting the net out to catch them before they come in here," Mr Edwards said in a video filmed from the newly-dug grave and posted on Facebook.
"We are speaking to them from inside a grave saying please don't come in here, please don't come in here before your time."
Mr Edwards, who has been clean and sober for 23 years, is encouraging people to send in their stories of addiction so that he can read them out to people watching the live stream.
