The ARC hosted a recovery day event aiming to bring the recovery community of Manchester together by reflecting on achievements, sharing inspiring stories and for services to collaborate.
The day started off with a band made up of service users and staff performing a live rendition of The Blur song, Park Life, to the lyrics of ‘ARC Life’. The lyrics of ARC Life expressed the journey service users go through on the road to recovery.
An open mic and guest speakers’ session showcased the powerful and emotional stories of recovery and the role The ARC has had to play. One guest speaker talked about how being introduced to Acorn’s RAMP and DEAP programmes saved his life and the importance of hearing someone’s lived experience whilst on the road to recovery.
Many of the guest speakers spoke about the how staff at The ARC have empowered them to now help and support other people going through the same problems, being able to educate people around and addiction and providing various support for people within the criminal justice system.
The celebration event also saw the official opening of the wellbeing garden but beware the Beehives next to the garden! The wellbeing garden has been set up as a safe place for reflection for both staff and clients of The ARC.
There was also on-site testing for Hepatitis C by the Hepatitis C trust as part of Hepatitis C awareness week.
Pauly Hossner, Recovery Practitioner and Volunteer lead at The ARC; ‘The day was about sharing experiences and inspiring other people to get clean. It was great to see different organisation collaborating to support people and achieve the same goal.
‘At the ARC, we are lucky to see people’s journey’s and how they grow, and it was amazing to be able to see them share their experiences with others. We’re now helping people with all sorts of issues and was great to celebrate the work of the team.’
