Community and Opportunity

Recovery needs somewhere to go.

Stopping or reducing substance use is only part of recovery.

What happens afterwards matters just as much.

If somebody removes substances but is left with isolation, no routine, no purpose, poor mental health and the same environment they were struggling in before, we've only done half the job.

That's why community is such a huge part of KF.

We create opportunities for people and families to reconnect with ordinary life — sometimes without having to talk about recovery at all.

Building recovery capital

Our community provision has included and continues to develop:

• Weekly recovery and community groups

• The Recovery Hub

• Community pop-ups across Derbyshire

• Farm-based recovery and wellbeing activities

• Activity Days bringing people, families and professionals together

• Creative projects including Stitch Away the Stigma

• Wellbeing and physical activity

• Nature-based activities

• Volunteering

• Peer-led opportunities

• Digital inclusion and access to technology

• Skills development

• Education and training pathways

• Employment and employability support

• Community events

• Family activities

• Opportunities to progress from receiving support into volunteering and lived-experience roles

Our Digital Inclusion work has provided access to devices and digital support because being digitally excluded can mean being excluded from benefits, healthcare, housing, employment, education and increasingly almost every other part of life.

Our farm and nature-based provision gives people something different again: space, routine, animals, practical activity, connection and an opportunity to simply be somewhere without sitting opposite somebody being asked how they feel.

For children and families, projects such as Energy Explorers, Empower, Strong Girls, Strong Minds, Family Thrive and Parent & Child Wellbeing extend that philosophy into physical activity, confidence, emotional wellbeing, nature and family connection.

From service user to something more

One of the things we're most passionate about is creating genuine progression.

People shouldn't have to remain a service user forever.

Someone might arrive needing support, begin attending a group, volunteer, discover skills they'd forgotten they had, undertake training, become a peer supporter and eventually move into employment or another opportunity entirely.

We want KF to be somewhere people can belong before they're ready to move forward — and somewhere that helps them move forward when they are.

Our longer-term ambition is to grow our community and farm-based recovery model, create more training and employment pathways, develop experience days and practical opportunities and build stronger connections between recovery, nature, wellbeing, skills and meaningful work.

Because recovery isn't simply about what somebody stops doing.

It's about everything they get the opportunity to start doing again.