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or not, to play their part in the
local community.
What we try to do is listen
and support as opposed to tell
and regulate, in the belief that
recovery is not owned but
shared. We also try to help
those who wish to design and
develop recovery support
networks to realise their
aspirations. The growing mutual
respect was highlighted by the
contribution that different
recovery groups from around the
county made to our recent
workforce development training.
They played a major part in
helping Unity staff teams
develop their understanding of
recovery and this co-working
continues to bear fruit.
In practical terms, Unity
work closely with local groups –
Vulture Club in Whitehaven,
New Beginning in Workington,
Cumbria Gateway and Jigsaws
in Carlisle, ReFocus in Penrith,
and New Roots in Barrow – to
develop their ideas further and
make the groups more visible.
These organisations are all
inspired to support recovery in
Cumbria and choose to work
closely with Unity to develop
strong and meaningful links
with other organisations in their
local communities.
*****
In Barrow and Workington we
have recently taken our next
step in recovery asset building.
Following an inspirational visit to
friends at the Scottish Recovery
Consortium and some practice
at our workforce development
days, we have joined the brave
new world of ‘recovery
conversation cafés’, inviting
people who access local services, carers and people from the community to talk
about what recovery means locally. This is a great way to have everyone who
supports recovery get together, make use of the links we have, forge new ones
and decide on actions that relate to recovery in the local communities of Cumbria.
September 2013 |
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| 9
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Communities
The informal café atmosphere is designed to help everyone feel at
ease and talk openly about real ideas that will support recovery
networks and their development. It is ideally suited to the asset-based
approach as it brings focus to the sharing of strengths and assets in
a positive environment. So far the Barrow and Workington
conversation cafés have been vibrant and full of ideas that have
included such things as social media development, ways to challenge
stigma and sharing of workspace.
We have also begun work to build relationships with 12-step and
other mutual aid organisations. North West representatives from
Narcotics Anonymous came out to Barrow-in-Furness to put on a
‘myth-busting’ event to support positive, reality-based links that
ensure people accessing treatment services get a full range of
recovery choices, and Unity are now working to support the set up of
new NA meetings in Cumbria. In Carlisle the Unity team and partners
linked with an Alcoholics Anonymous public meeting, building
important relationships to facilitate more informed choice for people
accessing services. This linkage has been further developed after
Mark Gilman’s visit to the city to promote mutual aid facilitation, as AA
will be hosting an open meeting to introduce the 12 steps at Unity’s
Botchergate centre from September. In HMP Haverigg we will soon
have Smart Recovery meetings taking place, with staff members
currently in training.
To mix metaphors for us, recovery is not a bull at a gate but a
rising tide, as it becomes more visible in Cumbria. What I love about it
is its diversity – each locality doing its own thing, demonstrating, I
think, that we were right not to centralise our ideas. The beauty of it is
how, as the varied organisations and their members develop in their
own local communities, there is increasing talk of wanting more
contact with each other, and we hope to help everyone get together
this month for our very own Cumbria recovery walk.
DDN
The next recovery conversation café is planned for 24 September in Carlisle.
Ashley Gibson is community development lead at Unity Drug and Alcohol
Recovery Service, Cumbria
Mark Reeve of New Roots Support Group, left, receives a
donation of fishing equipment, as featured in the North
West Evening Mail, Barrow
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