The Network - Voyage of Recovery Special

Voyage of Recovery Special

Network

Monthly news, views and updates from across Phoenix

www.phoenix-futures.org.uk

Voyage Research Phoenix Futures and the Tectona Trust are proud to announce the Voyage of Recovery Research Project. Undertaken by the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry’s Prof Charles Abraham (Professor of Behaviour Change).

The research will attempt to work with approximately 90 Voyagers and 40 non-voyagers (controls) in an attempt to gauge how effective recovery can be in conditions where you learn to become more confident, socially aware and form a close bond with people. Stats so far suggest 80% of users who went on a voyage stayed clean in the long term and this study will hope to prove this.

With a week to go before the voyage questionnaires will soon be going out to the 1st set of voyagers and a handful of interviews will also be scheduled. The ethics committee at the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry have given their approval.

Latest updates from the Voyage With the Gaff Ketch Tectona due to set sail in a few days we have made arrangements so you can get all the latest updates from the boat.

Final plans in place for the Voyage of Recovery Our innovative addiction treatment project organised in association with sailing charity Tectona Trust will launch as planned on 1st August 2012. The 3-month voyage will see over 100 people in active treatment for drug and alcohol problems sail around Britain. Although we are still fundraising, enough money has been pledged to ensure the voyage will go ahead as planned.

The 3-month voyage will launch from Plymouth on Wednesday 1th August and travel west stopping at Milford Haven, Holyhead, Liverpool, Glasgow, Corpach, Peterhead, North Shields, Ipswich, London, Portsmouth and finally arrive back in Plymouth on 24 October.

eating contest in Birmingham, a pirate fancy dress day in Barnsley and a clairvoyant evening in Peterhead. In our prison treatment services across the country prisoners have been using the prison gyms to row the length of the voyage and climbing the height of Kilimanjaro on the step machine to support the voyage.

It really has brought people of all ages and backgrounds together to support recovery from addiction and help transform individuals and their communities around the country.”

Barry Eveleigh, Lead Commissioner for Drug Treatment Services in Birmingham with the responsibility for the commissioning of adult drug treatment services says;

“It’s great to see innovative ideas to jump start recovery and this programme of getting drug users to sail a ship around the country can only help boost confidence, something we often forget as a crucial element in the recovery Adele Duncan, Project Manager for The Island Trust have teamed up with journey.” the Voyage of Recovery; Yellowbrick Tracking to provide a “This has been a huge project but constant update of the boats position.

Darren Long, an ex-Phoenix service with the help of major sponsors user and the originator of the Trafford Council and Birmingham’s The crew will be provided with a laptop voyage concept added; Drug and Alcohol Action Team and a camera to upload pictures of (BDAAT) along with many their time on the boat and time willing “The voyage will be a life record a blog post. The gallery is visible companies and individual changing opportunity for those supporters, we’ve been able to from our website and the blogs will people taking part, I know it will make it happen” appear on tumblr also be a symbol of hope for people who are in a similar “We’ve had staff, service users and We have also created a timeline to tell situation to the one I was in a few supporters fundraising by climbing, the story of how the Voyage of years ago. I’m now drug-free and swimming and cycling and some Recovery came to be and give the dates working on the Tectona helping more unusual events such as a of when the boat can be expected to others overcome their addiction zip wire-ing off the Tyne Bridge in pull into the different harbours. problems.”

Newcastle, an international snail The voyage will also be studied by Plymouth University to identify exactly how activities like the voyage can aid recovery from addiction.

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Bad Hair Day Fundraiser Fundraising Update We recently exceeded the 40% mark of our targeted £70.000 to cover the costs for our Voyage of Recovery and would like to take the chance to thank you all for all your hard work.

At the time of writing we have a total of £30.931.90 on our just giving account. That’s 44% of our target.

Recent efforts in Barnsley have seen the Recovery Navigation Team raise £303 after a day spent bag packing in Morrisons. The team reinforced their efforts by making everyone aware of the work they do in Barnsley and sending them all home with a postcard containing information about the Voyage of Recovery

“These are three pics from our ‘bad hair day’ fundraiser, a big thank you to staff at Widening Horizons who have never failed to participate and contribute with passion to the themed days”.

Julie Sutton, Team Manager said, “The staff in Morrison were brilliant really nice to bag packers, overall a great success. We shall be applying again but for a weekend day. Lots of tips around the day and things maybe we could have done differently so will forward a separate email later champions”.

Julie Sutton Team Manager Recovery Navigation (CJIT) Team

The Great Snail Off!!

As part of the Voyage of Recovery fundraising we were looking for something a bit different to do to rake in the pennies.

We are lucky enough to have Annexe, a very tasty Mediterranean restaurant over the road from our Zip across the Tyne Bridge Ruskin Chambers office here in Stephen Armstrong raised £150 as he Birmingham. Even luckier than jumped off the Tyne Bridge on a Zip that we have 2 tasty French men Wire. at hand, one being the restaurant manager Damien Portefaix, the Stephen did it to raise funds for the other being Phoenix Futures own, Voyage of Recovery, his wife Felicity Philippe Bonnet. is a Voyage Champion who has been tasked with raising funds and gener- So Philippe went out hunting for ating awareness in her area and her the slimey travellers (in a local service at HMP Holme House. supermarket not the back garden!).

He then roped Damien into it and set a date. We all arrived to watch the warm up which involved checking the baguette was suitably crunchy, agreeing the maximum 30 minute eating time, discussing who was going to vomit first and of course Ricard aperitifs!

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The first dozen snails arrived on the table, the timer was set, shoulders and necks stretched, knuckles cracked, then it was es-car-go(insert silent ‘t’)!

23 minutes later they had both consumed 5 dozen (yes that’s right 60!) snails each, along with the equivalent of about half a block of (garlic) butter and half a baguette.

During which time the rest of us had braved it and ate anything from a small bit to a whole snail!

All in all we raised £100! A fun evening and fantastic way to raise awareness of the Voyage of Recovery. A big thanks goes out to Damien Portefaix and all staff at Annexe and of course to Philippe Bonnet for making this possible.

Marcia Dixon VOR Champion Birmingham

International Rememberance Day This Saturday 21st July is recognised internationally as a day to remember those who have died as a direct, or indirect, result of drug and alcohol use.

Phoenix Futures staff and service users are marking this day by remembering those who they have lost.

Messages: “Its been 19 years since you left us, and 19 years since you went away, I never got the chance to say goodbye nor tell you that I loved you. I was only a kid, and at the time never really understood what had happened, but I knew that you’d needed help and someone to help you, but in the end the drugs won, and they took you. Life goes on and changes, but the one thing that doesn’t change is that we miss you, Nan talks about you all time, and we still have your pictures up in the house, Its hard to explain and write down just how it feels, and I have tears in my eyes just typing this, I know its international remembrance day, but for so many of us, that day is everyday. Love always xxx” By Anonymous “TI, our area of Manchester is quieter and duller now that you’re not here. You had such a big personality and made me and so many others laugh with your dry sense of humour. You are thought about and missed in the recovery community. Rest in peace.” By Rachael “James was a top lad and is greatly missed by his peers of storth Oaks” By Paul

Remembered fondly: John Edwards Larry, sadly missed father and best friend Davie, sadly missed husband, father and best friend

Wirral Residential Blog can get on with everyone all of the time! We have also had an influx “So to keep you all updated I have of new residents. It was an now been at Phoenix Residential uplifting experience when on the Wirral for 4 weeks now. So to Friday they announced to the this week’s events, the biggest eye residents who was going on what leg of the Voyage of Recovery. This opener for me is how my life has is major sailing expeditions around changed through my adventures Britain which was a major boost to through Phoenix Futures. Eight months ago I was lining up to give everyone in the community.” urine tests now I am the one who is administering the test. Also I had Gareth Edwards a big bunch of keys which emphasises trust. For someone with Gareth is a 39 year old my nefarious past you can’t realise documenting is personal recovery the implications this has on you whilst volunteering at the Wirral as an individual. It is very pleasing Residential service. The full version and shows through time people of this entry can be found on our will see and your faith in society website here and more importantly your self will be restored. http://www.phoenix-futures. org.uk/category/wirralThis week I have been helping with residential-blog/ dynamics within the community as just like a close family not everyone Hello readers

Steve Golding meets his Holiness the Dalai Lama “On 17 June, I had great honour and joy of meeting His Holiness face-to-face. I have had great fortune to attend His profound teachings on Buddha Dharma several times in various countries since first being ‘zapped’ by His amazing energy in 1995”.

I met His Holiness at His hotel amidst a throng of security personnel, officials and monks. All were eager to usher Him on but His Holiness was relaxed and took his time to accept a khatag (traditional offering) and return it with a blessing.

Wonderful.”

“The Dalai Lama was also in Manchester to host a youth event co-hosted by Russell Brand. The choice was controversial but they got on well together and it provided publicity for His Holiness’ goals to promote religious harmony; and to seek autonomy for Tibet to protect human rights and preserve their unique cultural heritage, which is of great benefit to all.

Steve Golding

www.phoenix-futures.org.uk

You can read the full version of Steve’s meeting with the Dalai Lama on our website at http://www.phoenix-futures. org.uk/2012/07/guest-blogfrom-steve-golding-whorecently-met-the-dalai-lama/

Wirral Community Family Forum

Compliments and complaints We welcome all complaints and compliments so that we can improve services and shout about best practice.

on its way to you shortly.

All complaints and compliments are monitored on a quarterly basis.

A summary of all formal compliments and complaints So that we can gather even more received between April 2009 and March 2012 can be viewed on feedback, we have introduced Connect. If you do not have access another method to gather complaints and compliments from to Connect, please email robyn.cornelius@phoenix-futures. our customers – via the web Our customers can now log onto org.uk and I will send the summary www.phoenix-futures.org.uk/ to you. for-professionals/ourcompliments-and-complaints- If you have any queries about compliments and complaints, please do procedure/ and enter their not hesitate to contact me. compliment or complaint easily and quickly.

Robyn Cornelius Quality Officer – Customer A resource to publicise the Focus. webpage to service users will be

I just wanted to tell you all about the new Phoenix Family Forum I have put together. I attended some training a while ago, on working with families and their family members and how they are affected. Throughout we were shown a short film were family members met and were able to discuss the affects their loved ones drug/alcohol use had on them As a floating Support Worker on the community I often hear families asking where can they can seek some support around their sons/daughters/ family members drug/alcohol misuse so I researched it for a few months and decided to put a family Forum together for the floating Support side of the service.

I held the first Phoenix Family Forum on the 14th of June with an attendance of 6 family members and am so pleased to say the feedback I received after the group was very positive with everyone feeling the benefit of being able to talk and not be judged, and so the next family forum group was scheduled for the 9th of July, with 7 attending the next group.

Regards Gillian Kelly Floating Support Worker

Season Review 2011/2012 Phoenix Futures backs ‘Whole Family Support’ Phoenix Futures is proud to announce it’s support for Community Care Conferences - ‘Whole Family Support for Drug and Alcohol Abusing Parents’.

The conference will be held in London on Tuesday 11th September 2012.

A third of adult substance misusers in treatment have childcare responsibilities and the lives of these children are much improved when families as a whole are supported.

It is vital that both adult’s and

children’s services work together to provide that support.

Professionals who work with drug and alcohol misusing parents face the difficulty of engaging not only partner agencies, but substance misusing parents themselves in treatment and child protection, in the face of increasing stigmatisation and stereotyping.

For about this event you can view it on our web site at http://www.phoenix-futures. org.uk/event/whole-familysupport-for-drug-and-alcoholmisusing-parents/

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It was our first year of participating in the Liverpool Homeless League, after canvassing for support to help us develop our involvement in the LHL, we were approached by a local businessman Billy Toop Billy bought a new kit for us with our very own Gavin Ollier chipping in with sponsorship monies as well.

Ray Smith Wirral Community Services To see how our boys got on in the league this season check out the website at http://www.phoenix-futures.org. uk/2012/07/seasonreview2012/

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