We’ve recently been in a process applying for funding to be able to continue our in-person aftercare and Wellbeing Wednesday provision in Weston-super-Mare town centre. The wait for the outcome has been full of anticipation, and we are overjoyed to announce that we have been successful! We are extremely grateful to The National Lottery Community Fund team for awarding the funding.
This service has been operating for a number of years in Weston-super-Mare, supporting not only former Broadway Lodge clients who are in recovery from addiction, but eligible people who have experience of trauma, mental health difficulties, addiction or any form of abuse.
The various inclusive groups held weekly are designed to support participants to strengthen their recovery, improve confidence and self-esteem, experience personal development, build connection with others, get support for challenges, be empowered to lead healthy lives and reduce barriers to employment.
The support available includes:
- Wellbeing sessions focused on relaxation, learning, connection, physical activity, self-care or holistic therapy (sound baths and auricular acupuncture)
- Group therapy
- One to one counselling
- Individual support including signposting to relevant specialist organisations and help/ signposting to access education, training or paid or voluntary work. For those participating who are looking for work, the team can help with CV writing and interview preparation for example.
New Additional Male-Only Group
We are delighted that this new phase has allowed us to grow and further develop the service with a new male-only morning group therapy session. We already have an existing women-only wellbeing group and we recognise the value of offering same-sex support groups. They allow participants to feel heard, understood and comfortable to be vulnerable with same-sex peers and are likely to feel identification with each other as they can experience similar challenges.
New Name: ‘North Somerset Recovery Community Support Project by Broadway Lodge’
We have previously referred to this service as ‘In-Person Aftercare’ (Thursday sessions) and ‘Wellbeing Wednesdays’. It now has one new official name which is the ‘North Somerset Recovery Community Support Project by Broadway Lodge’, to highlight the community element whereby the support isn’t just available to our former clients, but that we warmly welcome people from the local community too. The project encompasses all of the sessions we offer including a men’s group, Wellbeing Wednesday sessions and the mixed-gender group therapy sessions.
Markkus, Director of Therapy & Aftercare at Broadway Lodge said:
“It’s a really exciting time for the project with the launch of an additional group and it’s fantastic to be able to continue to offer our support not only to our former clients, but to people who have suffered who haven’t come through treatment at Broadway Lodge. Thank you to our team who deliver the service in the town centre and also to The National Lottery Community Fund, for enabling us to deliver such a popular and integral service in Weston-super-Mare.”
Outcomes
The service that we offer in the community has gone from strength to strength and we are proud to have supported many tens of people to enrich their lives, help them to stay on track with their recovery, form strong relationships and connections with others, build self-confidence and help them discover new interests and partake in new experiences. For example, attendees of the women-only Wellbeing Wednesday sessions have tried cold water swimming, yoga, learning about maritime history by visiting the SS Great Britain, felt the power of a drumming circle and experienced a sharing group in nature. Participants of the group therapy sessions have been to the Banksy art exhibition in London, Longleat Safari Park and Thorpe Park.
Some participants have been attending consistently for over two years and some have enrolled in education courses at Weston College and others have secured voluntary and paid employment.
All of the groups are well attended by a variety of people in various stages of their recovery which leads to a great mix of experiences and a diversity of input and we are pleased that other services in the local area signpost their service users to this project.
A former participant highly praised the project and said:
“When I left Broadway Lodge I was computer illiterate and I worried whether I could stay clean and sober and live on the outside of rehab. But going to the support groups in Weston-super-Mare, which I did for two and a half years, gave me structure each week. Through the groups I was able to continue to learn about my thinking and my addiction and I didn’t feel so alone or vulnerable with my situation.
“Through the project I have grown as a person, gained so much confidence, made great friendships with others in recovery and figured out what to do next. The team helped me to access training courses and I can now use a computer. With this skill I gained the confidence to study Health & Social Care Level 2 at college. I now volunteer at two different organisations.
“The support offered is invaluable and I recommend the service to all of my sponsees and anyone I meet locally who I think would be suitable for the support. I’m absolutely delighted that the project can carry on so that more people can access the support that I had, I’m so grateful.”
Find Out More
To read more about the North Somerset Recovery Community Support Project by Broadway Lodge, including session times, how to register and eligibility criteria, click here or view the leaflet by clicking on the image below.
