UKSPF Case Studies
Broadway Lodge: Aftercare Service
Broadway Lodge is an abstinence-based addiction treatment centre in Weston-super-Mare. Their Aftercare service has been running in North Somerset since April 2023 and is funded by UKSPF.
Offering counselling, one-to-one sessions and group therapy, the Aftercare sessions build confidence, reduce stigma, and help participants understand they have a right to ask, ‘what’s next?’.
UKSPF also funds social activity to help build interpersonal skills and enable peer support in recovery. Kicking this off was a day at Thorpe Park!
Read an update from recent participants in the Aftercare service:
Eddie has recently completed several Building Groundworks training modules at Weston College. He feels excited about his new skills and has the relevant certificates required by contractors. Eddie’s confidence has grown enormously. He feels he is in a very safe space at the Aftercare service. He came to the UK from Portugal needing care in rehab. After leaving Broadway Lodge he initially faced a bumpy road, but armed with the tools from his rehabilitation and the support of Aftercare, we see a brand new Eddie with a clear vision of his future. He is an excellent recovery ambassador and willingly offers support and guidance to his peers.
Eddie
Suzie came to Broadway Lodge for an extended stay after years of drug and alcohol abuse. She came straight from hospital where her life had been saved. She signed up for Aftercare and following an initial period of ‘settling in’ to Recovery – moving to a dry house, attending AA and NA meetings, rebuilding relationships – Suzie is now a shining example of someone who has been helped to recovery. She relishes her family relationships and has now identified a course she would like to attend at Weston College. She will be attending a digital ‘back to basics’ course provided via North Somerset Training Hub and has encouraged a peer to go with her. Suzie actively encourages and supports her peers.
Suzie
Don has been a regular attendee at Aftercare for some time now. The recovery path can be a rocky one and isolation can set in. Don counters this by taking his camera with him when he goes out and is looking forward to starting a photography course later in September. Helen, Aftercare Counsellor, set him a light-hearted and fun challenge, to post one photograph a week leading up to his college course! All is not always serious in Aftercare, and there are moments when the group rename themselves Laughtercare!
Don
Many Aftercare participants are also actively committed to voluntary work. This can be anything from helping out at Weston’s Addiction Rehabilitation providers, cooking meals for those who need them, or repairing furniture donated for onward sale at charity outlets. Many take on the responsibility of ‘service posts’ at NA and AA meetings. This includes welcoming, making teas and coffees, serving on committees, publications management and fund raising.
Volunteer
Introducing ‘Wellbeing Wednesday’ sessions in Weston-super-Mare
Broadway Lodge has launched ‘Wellbeing Wednesday’ thanks to North Somerset Council’s allocation of the government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Wellbeing Wednesday sessions are weekly, free to attend, and are designed to support North Somerset residents who are unemployed and recovering from addiction, domestic abuse, trauma, or mental health issues.
Women-only sessions offer a varied mix of social, wellbeing, and educational activities, centered around the ‘5 ways to wellbeing’ (connect, be active, take notice, learn, and give). Each week, participants will engage in different activities designed to build confidence, improve self-esteem, foster connections with other women, learn self-care techniques, and support their journey forward. So far, participants have enjoyed axe throwing, reflexology, therapeutic sharing circles, activities in Grove Park and Djembe drumming.
Mixed-gender sessions provide a mid-week opportunity to focus on mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing. These sessions include auricular acupuncture combined with sound healing meditation or drumming, creating a relaxing and nurturing environment for all participants.