Alison has recently returned home after spending five years working with St Stephen's Society in Hong Kong and mainland China. The direction of her life changed at 17 when she became a Christian and was healed of anorexia. She felt very strongly that God was guiding her not to follow the usual treadmill of university/career, but to help others in the grip of addiction and poverty. "It was a huge step for me, going against all expectations."

Alison saw how hard life on the streets of China can be. People head from the provinces to the city's 'golden streets', only to get stuck in limbo at the station. With no job, no home and no train fare back, they have to survive as best they can. "I got to know 17-year-olds who had run away from home as young as seven, were on heroin by ten, and are now HIV positive. Teenage boys who had been abused by men were now passing on the favour. Women survived by collecting and selling rubbish when they can because they were too weak for prostitution."

The St Stephen's team rent flats, taking in addicts and giving them a safe family environment in which to withdraw, build a new life, and learn to rely on Jesus.

"We helped people at the station with food and medical treatment, but our main aim was for them to know they were special to God and that he could heal their addictions," she emphasises. "When they came to live with us, it could be like working with very manipulative and streetwise toddlers, but you could see the emotional barriers dropping, which was immensely rewarding." Indeed, many of the addicts go on to take responsibility in the home. Fifteen years ago, Miss A was on heroin. Now she leads the China team.

Shortly before Alison left, the government announced a crackdown on crime. The police duly set about their business with heavy batons. "One man limped into the house with a broken neck. Another had both arms broken, was told he needed an operation - and was miraculously healed," she remembers. For a third lady, it was too late. "Mrs B is dead" was the stark message next day.

Now safe in Ashtead herself, Alison cannot help but worry that many of the friends she made among China's most vulnerable people will come to regret the Olympic Committee's decision as the streets are 'cleansed' to present a more acceptable face to the world's press.

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