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Phoenix Future's annual awards ceremony was held at London's City Hall on the 25th January 2012.

Click here to find out who our winners were.

On the 20th January 2012 we planted 1000 tree's to signify and celebrate the achievement of each individual service user who have graduated from our services last year. This will contribute to our long term vision is to create a permanent tribute to recovery which will always be growing, evolving and be a legacy for future generations and an incentive for continued engagement for those in treatment.

 

From August 2012, we will be giving the opportunity to 160 Phoenix Futures service users to sail the beautiful Gaff Ketch Tectona sail boat 1,800 miles in 11 legs around the coastal waters of Britain.

The objective of this innovative project is to give those that are currently engaged in intensive in drug and alcohol rehabilitative treatment, and have already demonstrated a strong commitment to their recovery, a goal to aim towards and offer an alternative form of therapy that will enhance their treatment.

 

"I went on a sail training trip with my service last year and now work as a volunteer on the same boat, it's been life changing in more ways than anyone could imagine" - Darren Long, former Phoenix Futures Service User

Find out more about the Voyage of Recovery

 

 

The Phoenix Forest planting day will be held on 20th January 2012 at Heartwood, near St Albans. A tree will be planted for every Phoenix Futures service user who completed a rehabilitation programme and treatment in the last year. The Phoenix Forest is in partnership with the Woodland Trust.

Find out more about our Phoenix Forest

A donation of £10 plants a tree in our Phoenix Forest

New Year Honours is our annual awards ceremony for Phoenix Futures staff and volunteers to celebrate their achievements, encourage innovation, aid communication and publically acknowledge their successes. In January 2012 we will be holding our fourth New Year Honours awards ceremony and this year the categories will focus on recovery in our communities:

Recovery in Partnership Award
The person or team that has developed an effective working partnership to deliver
excellent recovery services and benefit their community

Volunteer Award
The volunteer who has made a real difference by dedicating their time and skills to
help us in our work and support recovery.

Promoting Recovery Award
The person or team who has excelled in positively representing Phoenix Futures and
promoting recovery within their local community.

Recovery through Reducing Reoffending
The person or team who has supported recovery through a project or service focused
on reducing reoffending.

Recovery Initiative
The person or team who has created a new initiative or adjusted an existing service
in order to further support recovery or address recovery needs not previously met.

Enabling Recovery Award
The person or team who has made an outstanding contribution to the work of
Phoenix Futures by enabling the organisation to deliver more effectively.

 

Trafford Services graduation took part in Trafford on November the 25th at Lancashire County Cricket Ground, where individuals who had successfully completed the structured day service and also aftercare and resettlement, graduated. On the day, awards were given to those who attended our Conservation Therapy programme and completed the John Muirs award.

Quotes from the day:

"If it wasn't for the staff at Phoenix Futures I would not be stood here right now, and they have helped me gain confidence and skills to live without alcohol"

"I was told I was a hopeless case, and Phoenix futures staff made me believe in myself and gave me a chance, and through them I now have my life back"

"I found a family within Phoenix Futures and now I am excited & optimistic about the future ahead, knowing I can always turn to them for support."

 

National Stress Awareness Day was on 2nd November, so across Phoenix Futures we took the opportunity to promote a whole week of well being with events in Glasgow, Birmingham, Sheffield, Trafford and London. During the week we held "Stress and Well Being" training and had a different well being message on our intranet each day. A Wellness Day was held in Sheffield, London and Glasgow with partners Fitness First delivering workshops, health checks and fitness advice for staff.

Other initiatives across the organisation included:

A whole week of well being activities at Birmingham Community Service, starting each day with warm up exercises and with staff setting themselves healthy goals (no tea, cycle to work, no crisps….).

Healthy lunches, massage and Reiki were available at Trafford services.

Central Office had a healthy lunch day, Reiki and healthy recipes and information displayed. The person with the best health check results won themselves a pineapple!

In Scotland the National Office organised a walk, healthy food day and had relaxation tapes playing in the meeting room.

Information regarding eye strain, healthy diet, stress, stop smoking and neck exercises have been promoted to staff via e-mail and the intranet.

 

Sponsor Ciara at www.justgiving.com/Ciara-Sutton2

"I started entering half marathons, full marathons, 24 hour runs etc because I found running the hardest exercise ever. I am not a natural runner. I will never be a natural runner... But I am a runner. Training for this one has been tough... My boyfriend Eddy has had to put up with my tantrums and mid-run strops for months now. There really has been blood, sweat and tears all over Southwark Park. I am really proud to be running for Phoenix Futures.
Every person has the potential to beat their addictions, but the support of Phoenix Futures' key workers really makes this happen. The charity doesn't just help the individuals beating their addictions, it also gives hope to the families and friends that have been affected."

 

Our employees are important to us and are our most valuable asset. The quality of the service we provide depends on our staff. Their passion and commitment enables us to ensure our service delivery reaches the highest standards and it is important that we can provide them with a safe and healthy working environment.

National Stress Awareness Day is on Wednesday 2 November and we are promoting a whole week of well being across Phoenix Futures from 31 October - 4 November 2011.

During this week there will be different events throughout the organisation, including:

- Stress and well being training

- A new well being message on our intranet each day

- Involvement and awareness held locally such as lunch time walks, healthy food days etc

- A Wellness Day held by Fitness First in Sheffield, London and Glasgow on Friday 4 November where staff can visit to have health checks and get health and fitness advice

 

On the 27th August Trafford services invited Wirral Residential and Wirral Community services to join together for one of the biggest events in the North West; Manchester Pride. The staff team thought it would be a perfect opportunity to link in the yearly work plan to have a captive audience from a hard to reach group of people as well as the general public. This would give us an opportunity to make everyone aware of our services that are local to them, but attached in a fun way.

Find out more about the day

Phoenix Futures are delighted to have won the British Quality Foundation's 2011 BQF Achievement Award for Leadership, sponsored by BT.

Phoenix Futures was chosen by an independent awards jury for leading by example and inspiring our people to the highest standards of performance. We were presented with the award at the UK Excellence Awards 2011 ceremony which took place on Thursday 13 October at the InterContinental London Park Lane.

Karen Biggs, our Chief Executive, said, "We are delighted to receive this award. Just as quality is the responsibility of all in the organisation we have many leaders in Phoenix. Some are in management positions and some aren't but all can be identified by their bravery, vision and innovative approach. Whilst today we will take time out to celebrate our success we will then all refocus on continuing to achieve our ambitions sets out in the corporate plan to ensure we are all 'the best that we can be'."

 

Phoenix Futures Service User Conference to celebrate service users in recovery was held at The Mechanics Institute, Manchester, on 4th October. The conference was designed and delivered by service users of Phoenix Futures from Sheffield, Barnsley, Birmingham, Wirral and Trafford with 130 delegates in attendance.

The aim of the day was to 'Make Recovery Visible' and for service users to share their experiences through a number of workshops which they facilitated. The conference was supported by the Trafford Drug Action Team with Phil Valentine as keynote speaker setting the theme of the day by presenting a very moving speech regarding how recovery is possible.

The day was inspirational and viewed very positively by all who attended due to the energy and focus that was in the room:

"Totally inspirational, very moving and a credit to Phoenix Futures"

"Really good day, it was an honour to attend and see so many brave people"

"The day has been very inspiring to me and very informative, well done to all involved"

Read our Chief Executive Karen Biggs's blog about the event

The winner of this year's Innovation Factor (our staff competition for innovative ideas) was the Voyage of Recovery. The winning presentation came from Stuart Plant from Hampshire Residential Service and graduate Darren Long.

Find out more..

 

Phoenix Futures is delighted to have been shortlisted as a Finalist for the British Quality Foundation's Achievement Award for Leadership.

We are proud to have been shortlisted for this award, and we believe it reflects the brave and clear leadership which has been demonstrated within Phoenix Futures, especially by our Executive Team.

At Phoenix Futures we focus on quality and have started using the Excellence Model; we have a culture of staff involvement; we encourage and capture brilliant ideas such as Phoenix Forest through our Innovation Factor awards; and we celebrate and recognise staff achievements through our New Years Honours Ceremony.

We believe that being shortlisted for this award demonstrates our commitment to continuous improvement and recognises our clear leadership and effective strategic direction.

 

On a typical rainy-but-sunny Scottish day last week, a group of staff, volunteers, service users, local residents and partner organisations gathered together at Baron's Haugh Nature Reserve in Lanarkshire to celebrate the work of our Conservation Therapy Programme (CTP) in Scotland.

We have been working in partnership with the RSPB and North & South Lanarkshire Councils on the Nature Reserve to clear large areas of overgrown woodland to open up the area to the public and wild-life alike. The paths that were previously hidden under rhododendron bushes and trees have now been reopened and a spectacular view over the Clyde was uncovered in the process. John Deeney, our CTP Worker, led groups from our Scottish Residential and Bath Street Recovery Hub Services in the CTP at this site, and our other area at Chatelherault Park, including an inaugural all-woman group. Our service users made such an impact within the local community that the residents renamed the newly uncovered vista 'Phoenix View'. This moniker has stuck and we all felt very proud standing together, looking across the fields to the Clyde, admiring the beauty of Scotland and appreciating the hard work that our service users had put into opening up the area.

The Celebration Day was a time for us all to reflect on the importance of the CTP, for both services in Scotland and the organisation as a whole. It was a truly special day, which kicked off with everyone helping to plant wild flower seeds around the new Education Area which the service users worked together to clear and build. Staff and local partner agencies then presented service users with their John Muir Awards and it was clear the impact that being outdoors, working together and being part of something so special had on their recovery. It was emotional, and there were some tears, but ones of joy, pride and genuine happiness.

One of our biggest local champions is Violet Collins. Not only does she keep staff and service users on site filled up with home baking every week, she spreads the message of recovery within the community with such grace and humanity. She has so much appreciation and admiration for the work our service users have carried out in her local area. You can read the wonderful letter she sent us by clicking here (hankies at the ready!).

After sharing food and chatting at the BBQ we walked together through the forest to Phoenix View, where a vivid purple cloth was blowing in the wind. This cloth was covering up something really special. As part of the recovery of the area, the local council had designated us one of the hand-made benches they planned to erect along the path. Our bench was to be placed right in the middle of the area the service users cleared, looking out over Phoenix View. A group of service users worked with a local artist to design the bench, and here we were, standing together in anticipation, waiting to see what it looked like. Marion Logan, Director of Operations Scotland, said a few words and then unveiled the bench, and to say we were impressed would be an understatement! There it was, standing quietly proud, with the names of our service users, words of hope and inspiration, and of course, the Phoenix Futures logo all carved into the beautiful wood. It was such a special moment; one that I think will stay with everyone who was there for a long time.

The day ended with our Chief Executive, Karen Biggs, thanking everyone who made the day possible, and made some closing reflections on the CTP. There was so much positive energy and happiness in the air, we all could feel it. On that final walk back to the mini-buses and cars, through the trees and plants, with birds tweeting and swooping around us, we all knew that we part of something special – the recovery of communities, of families, but most importantly, the recovery of lives.

Read Marion Logan's blog about the event on Wiredin.

Read a letter from from local resident Violet Collins about the Phoenix View.

 

Read our resident Catey's entry on our blog about her experience of taking part in the Homeless World Cup in Paris.

Read our blog

 

 

 

 

Barnsley's Recovery Coalition won Best Float in the Mayors Parade on Saturday 9 July. Phoenix Futures was delighted to work as part of this partnership promoting recovery in Barnsley and it was a fantastic opportunity for our service users to share positive messages about their personal recovery journeys.

 

Phoenix Futures is proud to sponsor Wired In, an online recovery community which aims to empower people to tackle substance use problems. The Wired In recovery community provides information, tools and support that help people better understand and utilise the options they have to overcome the problems caused by their own, or a loved one's, substance use.

Karen Biggs, our Chief Executive, says:

"It's a privilege to be able to sponsor Wired In, which is a fantastic forum for a varied and lively debate about a whole range of issues. I love the fact that there is always so many different opinions but everyone has a belief in recovery at their core, even if there is a difference in view sometimes about how to achieve it.

Phoenix came from a self help group 40 years ago and the sense of 'self help' is still a guiding principle in all that we do. It is a central idea of the TC philosophy but equally important in all our recovery services, whether they are in prison or in the community.

Because of our history and our approach we are continually aware of the need to challenge ourselves about when our role in providing services to support someone's recovery stops. Because recovery doesn't start when people enter our services, it starts before they come to us and it ends after they leave us. What we hope to do is to help people develop the tools to move on with confidence to their next stage of recovery.

Having said that, there is much we can do however to support those in recovery to support each other after formal treatment ends and this is a responsibility I think organisations like us should take seriously. Supporting however we can the recovery movement in its widest sense through this forum, the Recovery Walk, Smart Recovery, providing venues for NA/AA and local peer mentoring groups is going to be even more important as we proceed through the tough economic times ahead.

Thank you Wired In for the support and challenge you provide the recovery movement."

 

We recognise the pressures that commissioners are under to achieve more with less money and we have developed our innovative Payment by Results pilot to achieve this.

Find out more about our Payment by Results pilot

 

In March, Phoenix Futures and the NTA hosted 'An Audience with George De Leon' to enable the sector to discuss our approach to recovery in the UK and how it mirrors the Recovery Orientated Integrated System that De Leon developed and what we need to do take this further. George De Leon is an internationally recognized expert in the treatment of substance abuse, and acknowledged as the leading authority on treatment and research in therapeutic communities.

 

We have responded to the Cabinet Office Green Paper - Modernising Commissioning: Increasing the role of charities, social enterprises, mutuals and cooperatives in public service delivery.

Read our response

 

Unfortunately it is still the case that there are more stories in the public domain of failed attempts to achieve recovery than there are of successful ones. One would hope that the new recovery orientated drug strategy will address this but in the mean time we are in the business of creating symbols of recovery ourselves.

Our Phoenix Forest is the latest example of how we quite literally are putting recovery on the map. Every tree planted in our forest this year marks the recovery journey of someone leaving our service drug free. These symbols of recovery will outlive all of us that planted them. They will grow stronger and more resilient each year. The Phoenix Forest proves that our hope and aspiration for each other is well placed and well rewarded.

 

 

Find out more about our Phoenix Forest

Each donation of £10 will enable us to plant a tree.
Support Phoenix Forest at: www.justgiving.co.uk/phoenixforest

 

We welcome the Government's Drug Strategy: Reducing Demand, Restricting supply, Building recovery; Supporting People to live a drug free life.

Read our response

 

We are delighted that the dedication and contribution of our staff and service users has been recognised at the Birmingham Drug and Alcohol Action Team Awards 2010. All Phoenix Futures services in Birmingham funded by the DAAT won awards at the ceremony.

We are particularly proud that our Birmingham Community Services and Park House both won awards for Service User Engagement and Well-being, voted for by service users. Our Birmingham Community Services also received an award for Partnership Working. Congratulations to Sarah Crockett, service user representative at our Birmingham Community Services, who received an award for Outstanding Contribution by a Service User.

Our Barnsley Widening Horizons Service has also been recognised for their work by Barnsley Recovery Forum and have been awarded the Service of the Year Award for the second year in a row.