Tucked away in a quiet corner of Shipley Country Park, there is magic afoot.
But the woodland folk creating this magic are not mystical sprites and elves – they are part of an innovative health recovery project.
It’s called Recovery Through Nature and it helps people who are dependent on substances make a fresh start, learn new skills and forge ahead with a new life free from drugs and alcohol.
Run by charity Phoenix Futures, Recovery Through Nature supports local people who are in treatment with Derbyshire Recovery Partnership and Derby Drug and Alcohol Recovery Service, the NHS-led substance misuse services for the county and city. It was started around six years ago and has grown from a small plot of land to a conservation area with poly tunnels full of veg, raised beds and a team of dedicated workers beavering their way towards a better life.
Mark Bolton, Recovery Through Nature lead for Derbyshire, is pleased to say: “This project will never be finished. It will continue to develop, change and adapt with the people who come here. We ask people to give us their ideas on what they want to do next, discuss the ideas and vote on them, and the person whose idea is chosen takes the lead on the project. I try to subtly push people out of their comfort zones to safely develop their skills.”
This process sees recovering addicts grow in confidence, appreciate their own worth and, as Mark said: “They start to realise they deserve to be here and deserve all the good things in life that come with recovery.”
As the team work together, they also learn the value of a slow-burn project. Rather than chasing the next high, they form new friendships and explore their recovery in a safe environment.
“For many people who are substance-dependent, they feel very lonely and isolated due to cutting ties with former friends associated with their substance use,” said Mark. “When they make that decision to seek help, they lose all those friends.
“Here they can make new friends who have been through the same things as them, who understand them and won’t judge them.”
Recovery Through Nature also promotes a “seed to table” ethos, with service users taking home the vegetables they have grown and learning to cook healthy, nutritious meals.
And everyone who uses Recovery through Nature is given the opportunity to work towards Level 1 qualifications in horticulture in conjunction with Derby College’s Broomfield Hall campus.
“For some people, this is the first certificate they will ever have earned and it means the world to them,” said Mark. “We also give out our own conservation awards for best newcomer; intermediate; advanced and distinction, which includes leadership.
“We’ve got a great track record of people going on to work for us after using the service, then volunteering.”
One of those success stories is 24-year-old Jacob Hardy, who is about to start a new role as a trainee substance misuse practitioner or keyworker with Phoenix Futures. Jacob developed a problem with cocaine at university after initially using it to help boost his confidence.
“I’ve had a very privileged life,” he said. “I went to university, got a degree, and it was so hard admitting to my parents that I’d got a problem. They were devastated but took me to get help and my GP gave me the number for the Derbyshire Recovery Partnership."
Derbyshire Recovery Partnership offers advice, support and treatment to adults in Derbyshire who need help with their drug or alcohol use. It is led by Derbyshire Healthcare Foundation Trust.
The partnership, and its city equivalent, the Derby Drug and Alcohol Recovery Service, refers many of its clients to Recovery through Nature.
Jacob said: “The first time I came, I was very apprehensive and thought it was just a bit of gardening, but when I got here, I realised it is so much more.”
He had been living a very solitary life and describes meeting everyone at Recovery Through Nature as therapeutic, a sentiment echoed by Anna Whysall.
Anna, 35, has only just joined the project, and was drawn to it having studied conservation, horticulture and floristry at school in her teens. The 35-year-old has struggled with addiction to cannabis and alcohol, and said Recovery Through Nature made her feel very safe.
“Because of issues in my past, it has been very hard for me to feel safe, but I do here,” she said. “I love it here. It is very calming. It’s great for me to be out in the fresh air and doing something with other people.”
Ian Carvell has been attending Recovery through Nature for the past eight months and says it helps keep his mind off his addiction. “Recovery Through Nature is great for rehabilitation and I would recommend it to anyone,” he said. “It has helped me to form new habits and make new friends. I’ve met people who’ve been through the same things as me and it is like a little family here.”
Shipley Park isn’t the only Recovery Through Nature site in the county, with Phoenix Futures running the scheme in Chesterfield, Ilkeston and Buxton, and now looking for a venue in the Swadlincote area so the team can reach as many people needing support as possible.
Jacob summed up the impact that Recovery Through Nature has, saying: “When I took those steps towards recovery, I found confidence almost overnight, as well as self-respect, self-love, empathy towards others. That is down to Mark and the service users around me. They helped to lift me up and give me a set of wings to fly.
“Recovery through Nature really did save my life.”