SUPPORT
A NEW NORMAL
Within days of
lockdown being
announced,
Lancashire’s
recovery
communities
had transformed
their way of life
on a grand scale,
as Chris Lee
explains
8 • DRINK AND DRUGS NEWS • MAY 2020
W
e are all
living with
significant
changes as
a result of
the threat
posed by COVID-19. For some this is
just another factor in busy lives, for
others it’s a real threat to a safe and
functioning lifestyle. The pressures
of isolation, worries about money,
housing, food, keeping children
occupied and all of us safe will be
creating untold pressures and risks
for some.
The UK recovery movement
might have drifted from the popular
narrative, however in parts of the
country, thriving, diverse recovery
communities are adapting to
the ‘new normal’. We wanted to
highlight how two organisations,
Red Rose Recovery/Lancashire
User Forum (LUF) and The Well
Communities are adapting to
support those in recovery and
beyond.
Lancashire has had a sustainable
and thriving recovery scene for
well over a decade. This had led
to well-developed peer support
structures, training, employment,
group work, activities, volunteering
and more. All of this is delivered
very much as an asset-based
community development approach
– local people with lived experience
supporting other local people with
lived experience.
THE OLD NORMAL
In the current circumstances, some
‘normal’ work is still ongoing, albeit
under the guidance of physical
distancing, use of appropriate
protective equipment and essential
journeys:
In the early days of lockdown
donations of food and toiletries
from high street retailers were
delivered to the elderly, homeless
and vulnerable, along with packs
from Lancashire Fire and Rescue
Service.
Volunteers have been supporting
the delivery of more than 600
meals a day to feed individuals
who are vulnerable, isolated,
quarantined or shielded in local
communities; information about
digital support is distributed
through the food parcels.
Local treatment providers
have been supported to deliver
naloxone and safe storage boxes
Support has been given to
individuals in recovery housing.
•
•
•
•
However, with no face-to-face
mutual aid running and normal
peer support ‘suspended’, a
dramatic shift to digital provision
has been implemented locally to do
all we can to ensure no one is left
behind. Both Red Rose Recovery and
The Well Communities have rapidly
embraced digital tools and shifted
support online within days of the
UK lockdown coming into force.
New partnerships
are appearing as a
result of the new
digital world.
This emphasises the flexibility
of community organisations and
the principle of building delivery
around those who use them.
This isn’t perfect, but sharing
the learning has been key to the
success of recovery communities
locally. One simple issue has been
to try to buy mobile phones and
credit for those with no resource
and therefore at risk of isolation,
or to actively support people
to download software and give
tutorials to support access.
THE NEW NORMAL
Employed workers and volunteers
in the recovery communities are
desperate to help those in need in
any way they can. It took a while to
get them to recognise the severity
of the situation, the risks involved
and to adapt to new ways of
working. However, now as always,
they have proved how they adapt
quickly and develop new skills to
enable work to continue safely.
The ‘new normal’ is being
WWW.DRINKANDDRUGSNEWS.COM