Change, Continuity & Hope

Looking back over my more than twenty years in the substance use sector, including fourteen with Project 6, I am struck by how much has changed and how much has remained the same. Services, language, policy priorities and systems have all shifted around us. Funding cycles have tightened and expanded, commissioning practices have changed, and the role of large national charities within the sector has evolved. The prioritisation of harm reduction, recovery, safeguarding and public health has often moved with the political and social climate. Yet beneath all that movement, my reasons for coming to work have remained constant: a commitment to our people and teams, and a responsibility to ensure the delivery of innovative and impactful services that treat people with dignity and respect.

One of the most significant changes has been the way the sector understands and manages risk and complexity. When I first began, there was often a separation between people’s needs and the services provided to meet them, with the VCSE historically viewed as offering little more than ‘tea and sympathy’ in the community. Over time, practice has become more honest about the fact that people do not experience their lives in separate boxes. This has made the work more demanding, but also more realistic. Accepted practice now means seeing the whole person, rather than simply measuring a substance-related outcome. Trauma-informed approaches, dual diagnosis work, safeguarding practice, partnership delivery and multi-agency responses have become central rather than additional. In turn, this has forced greater recognition of the expertise, professionalism and evidence-based ways of working found across the sector. In some areas, I firmly believe the VCSE has led, and continues to lead, the way.

The sector has also changed in its use of data, governance and accountability. Recording systems, performance measures and risk processes are more detailed than ever. This has helped demonstrate our professionalisation by providing better oversight, clearer expectations and stronger evidence of what services achieve. At the same time, we must continue to ensure that processes never replace our relationships with people, which are at the heart of our work. A completed assessment, care plan or risk assessment matters only if it helps someone feel heard, safe and better informed about taking the next step.

Another key theme has been the changing conversation around harm reduction and recovery. At different times, one has been given more emphasis than the other. In practice, I have learned that the most successful work holds both together. This applies not only to individuals but is also critical to a strong, influential and cohesive sector. For some people, recovery may mean abstinence, rebuilding relationships or returning to work. For others, it may mean staying alive, reducing risk, attending appointments, accepting naloxone, moving into safer accommodation or beginning to trust a worker enough to talk honestly. Progress is not always linear or visible from the outside, and no one path is worth more than another.

What has remained constant is the importance of values. Hope, empathy, curiosity, honesty and respect are not soft extras; they are the foundation of effective practice. People using substances are met with stigma long before they cross our threshold. The way we speak, listen and respond can either reinforce those assumptions or create the possibility of change. I have seen the difference that a values-based approach makes: the repeated phone call, the remembered detail, the honest human conversation, the willingness to keep a door open when someone is not yet ready to walk through it.

I have also learned that working in this sector requires humility. No worker, service or system has all the answers. The people we support are experts in their own lives, even when those lives are complicated by pain, trauma and repeated barriers. Our role is to walk alongside people through their journey, not to lead it. It is also important to recognise the emotional impact of the work on staff. It has been an absolute pleasure to be part of teams who take on this challenge and support one another with kindness, reflection and accountability.

Over the years, I have been continually humbled and awed by the people I have met. I remain convinced that our work is vital, not only for the people who access services but also for our communities. It is essential that VCSE organisations continue to influence the system and advocate for people. The sector will continue to change as new substances, policies, systems and pressures emerge. But the constant we carry forward will be our values. If we hold on to respect, humility, choice, connection and hope, then even in a changing landscape we can continue to offer something powerful: spaces where everyone can feel they belong, and the belief that change is always possible.

Caroline Victoria Britton

This year

As Project 6 marked 35 years of working in Keighley, we were reminded why local services matter. Trust is built through long-term relationships with people and partners, consistency over time and a deep understanding of place. From our first project in Keighley, offering a needle exchange service from a terraced house on Temple Street, to the wider support we now offer across substance use, recovery, harm reduction, housing and community connection, our work has always been shaped by local need and rooted in non-judgemental, practical support. Change is part of what we do, but continuity matters too: people need services they recognise, choices that reflect their circumstances and values, and support they can trust to stay alongside them over time.

This year, our teams supported people across Keighley, Bradford, Sheffield and Doncaster. These highlights show the breadth of that work, before the report looks more closely at why Project 6 exists and how our services support meaningful change.

• This year, we supported 8,838 people, reaching 136% of our contracted target of 6,498.
• This year, the Third Place project in Keighley supported 359 people through its drop-in provision. Across the year, the service recorded 2,113 contacts, delivered 3,291 harm reduction interventions and provided 304 psychosocial interventions.
• The ARC celebrated 15 years of supporting people in Sheffield with their recovery, receiving 432 referrals, engaging 749 people, and delivering 628 Five Ways to Wellbeing activities with 6,208 attendances.
• The Older Person’s Alcohol Service in Doncaster supported 221 people, helping them reduce alcohol-related harm, improve wellbeing and connect with the right support.
• The Hospital Mentoring Service received 610 referrals, delivered 1,708 one-to-one sessions and 82 groups, while continuing to achieve hospital re-referral and readmission rates below target.
• At Beat-Herder 2025, Project 6 delivered welfare and harm reduction support through around 1,300 outreach interventions, more than 600 brief interventions in the welfare yurts and direct support for 133 people experiencing drug-related crisis.
• Project 6 was recognised at the Yorkshire HR Awards 2025, winning both the Excellence in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Award and the HR Team of the Year – Public or Third Sector Award.
• MAST screened and assessed 4,030 patients across Airedale General Hospital and Bradford Royal Infirmary, helping connect people with timely support during and after a hospital admission.
• We continued to embed co-production across our services and welcomed wider communities to help shape our work through regular Your Voice events.
• Training services continued to expand their reach, including Changing Futures training for more than 700 professionals across 60 organisations and the development of an accredited Multiple Disadvantage Practitioner Course.
• We continued to develop our partnership with Waythrough through substance use contracts in West Yorkshire and Sheffield, delivering early intervention, rough sleeper support, housing support, group work and aftercare pathways.
• We secured funding for a new Gambling Harms Service in Sheffield, providing support for individuals, families and communities affected by gambling-related harm.

Why we exist

Project 6’s core purpose is to provide choice and opportunity for individuals, families and communities to create meaningful, sustainable change in their wellbeing.

The people we work with often face social stigma, shame, marginalisation and additional barriers to accessing systems of care that are not always designed around their needs and circumstances. Project 6 cannot meet every need alone, but through relational, person-centred and values-led support, and by working in ethical partnership across the voluntary sector, we can help people access the right support, reduce barriers and respond to the inequalities driving demand for our services.

We do this work through four connected areas:

• Harm Reduction
• Support Services
• Recovery Services
• Partnerships and Training

Our Values

Our values underpin every piece of work we undertake. Through them, we aim to deliver compassionate and inclusive services, while creating a great place to work where everyone at Project 6 feels supported to achieve their potential.

People matter

• We instil hope
• We create safe, caring spaces where people can flourish
• We trust each other
• We welcome difference and treat people equally, honestly and fairly
• We recognise and stand up for people’s rights

Everyone can change

• We help people to bring about positive change in their lives
• We don’t give up when things are difficult
• We help people to help themselves

We care about doing things well

• We say what we mean and we listen to what people tell us
• If we say we are going to do something, we do it
• We are always working to do things better

How we support people

Across our services, people come to Project 6 with different needs, experiences and hopes. Some need immediate practical help. Some are keeping themselves and loved ones safe. Some are rebuilding after crisis. Others are looking for community, confidence and purpose. Our service areas are different, but they are connected by a shared commitment to meeting people where they are.

Harm Reduction

Our harm reduction services provide practical, non-judgemental support that helps people stay safer, reduce risk and access help, whether or not they want to make changes to their use of alcohol or other drugs.

Third Place provides a safe, non-stigmatising space for people affected by alcohol and other substance use, homelessness, poverty, isolation or multiple disadvantage. In 2025–26, the service supported 359 people through drop-in provision, including 66 new individuals, 2,113 contacts, 3,291 harm reduction interventions and 304 psychosocial interventions. The team offered meals, laundry and shower access, food and benefit support, harm reduction advice, psychosocial work, treatment links, GP in-reach, Hepatitis C and sexual health pathways, housing support and therapeutic activity.

Through the New Vision Bradford partnership, Project 6 provided harm reduction, community education and treatment pathway support across Bradford district. This included needle and syringe provision, naloxone awareness, overdose prevention, safer-use advice, outreach, group work and support into treatment, recovery and wider community provision.

The Hospital Mentoring Service supported people admitted to hospital in connection with alcohol use and expanded its focus to include people aged over 40. In 2025–26, the service received 610 referrals, delivered 1,708 one-to-one sessions and ran 82 groups. Through its partnership with the Alcohol Care Team, the average hospital readmission rate was 10.75% in 2025–26 well below the contracted target. The team worked with hospital alcohol care teams, community partners and recovery services to reduce harm, prevent avoidable readmissions and support people facing barriers to other services. This work included specialist support for people experiencing alcohol-related brain damage, who face additional barriers and are often excluded from mainstream treatment services.

In Doncaster, the Older Person’s Alcohol Service supported people aged 50 and over who were affected by harmful drinking. Working with GPs and the wider health system, the service received 226 referrals. Of those referred, 221 attended one or more brief interventions, and 73 remained connected with Project 6 peer-support activities to sustain change.

Support Services

Our Support Services provide practical, emotional and community-based help for people facing crisis, social pressures, hospital admission, mental health challenges, family stress or barriers to support. Teams help people understand their options, build confidence, connect with local services and take the next step before challenges become harder to manage.

Keighley Pathways Service supports residents in the Keighley district who are facing challenges or feel they may be in crisis. The service offers flexible one-off support, advice and referrals around welfare, food poverty, housing, mental health, substance use and other social issues, working closely with partners including primary care and community organisations. In 2025–26, the service delivered 947 contacts, showing that people continue to know, trust and return to the service when they need help.

MAST, the Multi-Agency Support Team, works across Airedale General Hospital and Bradford Royal Infirmary to support people who may benefit from help with mental health, frailty, alcohol use or community connection during and after a hospital admission. In 2025–26, MAST screened and assessed 4,030 patients, delivered 7,184 hospital interventions, referred 1,341 patients into community support, provided 1,415 community support sessions and made 815 onward referrals to mainstream services.

ASIST provides specialist alcohol support for people admitted to Airedale General Hospital for alcohol-related reasons, including people whose physical health, mobility, mental health or wider circumstances make it difficult to access mainstream treatment. The team offers bedside motivational interventions, follow-up after discharge and home-based support where needed. In 2025–26, ASIST received 95 new referrals, supported 25 people to engage with mainstream treatment services, made 42 onward referrals into community support and positively discharged 80% of people from the service.

Fresh Start supports mothers who have had one or more children recently accommodated by the local authority. The service gives women time and space to process loss, build resilience, improve wellbeing and develop new skills for the future, while also helping them access support around alcohol and drugs, grief, health, housing, education and employment. This year, the team worked with 13 women, providing 1,076 contact hours.

Lexi came to Fresh Start after a traumatic experience had affected her wellbeing, her relationship with alcohol and the way she was able to care for her children. When care proceedings began, she felt at rock bottom and was unsure whether she was ready to face what was happening or trust another service.

Fresh Start worked with Lexi at her own pace, offering consistent, non-judgemental emotional support alongside practical help with housing and rent debts. With this support around her, Lexi entered residential rehabilitation, continued with one-to-one sessions and joined weekly groups with other women who had experienced child removal.

Over time, Lexi rebuilt confidence, developed supportive relationships and strengthened her recovery through group activities such as walking, cooking and canoeing. Lexi now volunteers with Fresh Start and describes the service as a place where she could be open, feel safe and get help without judgement.

Family Support provides space for families, carers and concerned others to talk through what is happening, understand the impact of alcohol, drugs or wider pressures, and build practical ways to cope.

RISE supports young people to strengthen resilience, relationships and confidence. In 2025–26, 96% of young people using RISE reported increased resilience. For many young people, this kind of support is one stage in a longer journey towards recovery, connection and community.

Recovery Services

Recovery Services help people build and sustain change after, alongside or beyond alcohol and drug treatment. Recovery is also about confidence, relationships, routine, wellbeing, identity and community.

I came with an open mind and no expectations. I was not ready to quit, and I was not expecting answers.
The first thing I noticed, apart from the smell of cheese toasties, was the warm welcome and the feeling of being heard and understood.
What I found was useful: a place to be sober and social, and to talk honestly about my experiences.
Through Next Steps, SMART, group conversations and one-to-one support, I have been able to look at myself clearly, without feeling judged, labelled or treated like a problem.
However long I am there, I am not thinking about using. I am too busy taking part, talking, listening and getting involved. When we talk about substance use, it is alongside people with lived experience who understand.
That sober space is carrying into my life. I have stopped using in the mornings, use less during the day and evenings, and have cut down by around two thirds. Not because I was told to “just say no”, but because I realised I wanted to change a 30-year habit.

The Structured Recovery Programme supports people who need a high level of structure to consolidate the changes they have made through treatment or their own recovery journey. The programme gives people space to build recovery capital, strengthen relationships, develop resilience and practise the skills needed to maintain change. In 2025–26, the programme exceeded its year-three targets, delivering 63 programmes across all our locations with 280 unique completions. Participants reported strong outcomes, with 87% increasing recovery capital, 86% developing more positive relationships, and 86% increasing resilience, wellbeing and supportive networks.

Active Citizens, Recovery Coaching and volunteering create routes for people in recovery to give back, develop skills, support others and take leadership roles in their communities. Active Citizens are people who care about where they live and want to make a positive difference, while Recovery Coaches use their own experience to offer peer support to people earlier in their recovery journey. Across Project 6, 85 active volunteers supported delivery in 2025–26, strengthening services through time, skill, commitment and lived experience.

Better Together is a Lived Experience Recovery Organisation in Doncaster, led by people with experience of problematic substance use. The project works with the wider community, Public Health and the local Combatting Drugs Partnership to understand barriers to support, identify unmet need and make sure people most affected by drug policy have a voice in shaping local responses.

Sober Social in Doncaster supports people in recovery from alcohol and other drugs through an inclusive, accessible community space. The service offers one-to-one support, relapse prevention, structured recovery activity, skills sessions, Five Ways to Wellbeing groups and volunteer-led activities that help people maintain recovery and reduce isolation. It also strengthened culturally specific and identity-informed support, including work alongside Project 6’s LGBTQ+ worker and Central and Eastern European worker, helping people access recovery support in ways that felt safer, more relevant and better connected to their communities. Across 2025–26, Sober Social discharged 204 people and achieved 173 positive exits, meaning 85% of closures ended positively. The service delivered 386 Five Ways to Wellbeing activities and 405 skills sessions, with a cumulative attendance of 6,854. People attending also reported positive outcomes, including 82% reporting improved mental health, 84% reporting an increase across the Five Ways to Wellbeing, 86% feeling less isolated and 85% reporting improved physical health.

Central and Eastern European Community Project

Szymon came to Project 6 after many years of alcohol use, isolation and poor mental health. He had once been active and ambitious, but over time alcohol use had affected his health, confidence and sense of connection. He described feeling trapped in a cycle that was difficult to break.

Szymon had struggled to access other services in Doncaster. Through the Central and Eastern European Community Project, he was able to access support in a way that felt culturally safe and easier to trust. He received one-to-one support in his own language, practical help to connect with services, and encouragement to attend the Polish-speaking SMART Recovery meeting at Sober Social.

The group became an important part of his recovery. It gave Szymon a place where he could speak openly, be understood, and meet others with similar experiences. Over time, he began to rebuild routine, connection and hope. His confidence grew, and he started to give back by supporting others in the wider recovery community.

 One block of text or Szymon’s experience shows why choice, cultural understanding and diversity of services matter in making support accessible and meaningful. Language barriers, stigma and fear of services can make it harder for people to ask for help. By meeting people where they are and building trust through community relationships, Project 6 helps people find support that feels relevant, respectful and possible.

The ARC is Project 6’s recovery community in Sheffield. It supports adults in, or aiming for, recovery from alcohol or other drug dependency, including people looking for support after structured treatment and people beginning to think about change. The ARC runs a six-day-a-week timetable of therapeutic, peer support and wellbeing groups, shaped by people accessing the service, volunteers and staff with lived experience. In 2025–26, the ARC received 432 referrals and engaged 749 people. The service delivered 628 Five Ways to Wellbeing activities, with 6,208 attendances.

Across these recovery services, people were supported to build recovery capital, stronger relationships, resilience, wellbeing and supportive networks. They were not only receiving support; they were actively engaged in a community, shaping services, sharing experience, volunteering, leading activities and helping create spaces where recovery felt possible.

Training Services

Training Services help build a skilled, confident and compassionate workforce. Our training supports staff, professionals, employers and partners to respond well to people affected by alcohol, drugs, trauma, multiple disadvantage and related harms. In 2025–26, external training continued to grow, helping services and workplaces recognise stigma, understand people’s experiences and develop practical, values-led approaches.

Changing Futures training remained central to this work in Sheffield, reaching more than 700 professionals from around 60 organisations. The team also developed the Multiple Disadvantage Practitioner Course, co-designed with practitioners and people with lived experience, and began the process of CPD accreditation. Alongside this, community education and workplace training expanded through the New Vision partnership, including naloxone, drug and alcohol awareness, focused harm reduction sessions and the launch of People Matter, a pilot employer training subscription.

Internal learning and development also strengthened staff induction, skills and leadership across Project 6 through refreshed onboarding, an internal training calendar and leadership development focused on coaching, person-centred leadership and neurodiversity. Participants reported feeling better equipped to respond to complex needs with confidence, care and curiosity, while People Matter created a new route for employers to build more supportive and informed workplace cultures.

For more information about our training offer, please email training@project6.org.uk.

What changed for people

Our core purpose is to provide choice and opportunity for individuals, families and communities to create meaningful, sustainable change in their wellbeing.

Individuals: In our annual Satisfaction Survey, 96% of individuals reported improvements in mental health and wellbeing and 86% reported improved physical health.

Families: Alcohol, drug use and wider wellbeing challenges can affect the whole family. By taking a family-focused approach, we help extend the impact of support. In our annual Satisfaction Survey, 88% of people reported improved relationships with family and friends.

Communities: By being visible and active locally, we help reduce stigma, strengthen pathways to support and rebuild connection. In our annual Satisfaction Survey, 87% of people felt more connected to their community and able to play a positive role, while 96% felt optimistic about their future.

“More importantly, I am thinking ahead and making conscious choices. Instead of saying, “I do this because…”, I ask, “Why am I doing this?” or “Do I really need this?”

Improved mental health and wellbeing

Mental health and wellbeing improved for 96% of individuals responding to our annual Satisfaction Survey. Results from individual projects reinforce this finding: 88% of people using Third Place reported improvements in their physical and mental health and wellbeing, while 96% of young people using RISE reported increased resilience.

Improved physical health and wellbeing

Across the annual Satisfaction Survey, 86% of individuals reported better physical health. Similar outcomes were recorded within services: improved physical health was reported by 85% of people attending Sober Social and 75% of people engaged with the ARC.

Improved relationships with family and friends

Stronger relationships were another important outcome. In our annual Satisfaction Survey, 88% of individuals reported improved relationships with family and friends; among Structured Recovery Programme participants, 86% reported more positive and constructive relationships with family, friends and their community.

Greater community connectedness

A greater sense of community connection was reported by 87% of individuals in our annual Satisfaction Survey, who felt able to play a positive role. Service-level evidence also points to wider wellbeing gains: 86% of people using the Older Person’s Alcohol Service reported improvement across the Five Ways to Wellbeing, as did 72% of Pinder House residents in at least one area during Q4.

Improved life chances

Looking to the future, 96% of individuals responding to our annual Satisfaction Survey said they felt optimistic. Other measures show practical progress: 88% of people supported by Keighley Pathways said they had a plan for dealing with their current crisis. In Q4, 69% of people supported by ASIST engaged in treatment, and 69% were positively discharged from the service.

“I came with curiosity. What I gained was a break from using, somewhere to be sober and social, and insight into myself: clarity, focus and space to rediscover what absorbs me, especially Leonardo da Vinci.”

Delivering support in line with our values

People also told us that the way support is offered matters. This year, people using our services said they felt respected, treated as equals, believed in and supported to help themselves. These results reflect the values set out earlier in the report and provide a strong foundation for the future.

• 95% felt respected and not judged
• 97% felt treated as an equal
• 97% felt that the service really believed in their ability to make changes
• 99% felt the service went the extra mile when needed
• 96% felt that they were learning how to help themselves

“There is a strong sense of connection, being in the same boat. Understanding staff with lived experience and many volunteers willing to help.”

What comes next

Jo Jepson

Project 6 CEO

The environment we work in will continue to bring both challenges and opportunities. We will keep our services, people and communities at the heart of every strategic decision, while positioning Project 6 to respond confidently to future needs.

Our purpose remains clear: supporting people and communities to make positive, meaningful change. We will keep strengthening partnerships with organisations that share our values, because collaboration is essential if we are to respond well to the complex challenges people face.

We have considered the resources, skills and capacity we need for the opportunities ahead. Our priority is to ensure services continue to deliver excellence, respond to local need and make a lasting difference in the communities we serve.

Inequality, social change and shifting attitudes make community-rooted organisations more important than ever. Project 6 is trusted and established, with strong local relationships and deep understanding of the people and communities we support. We are well placed to build on this foundation and continue delivering person-centred support that makes a real difference.

Looking ahead, we remain ambitious for Project 6. We will continue to learn, adapt and develop, while staying true to the values and purpose that have guided us throughout our history. This ambition depends on the people who make the work possible every day.

We are excited to launch new projects, extend our support into specialist gambling harms provision, strengthen our homelessness harm reduction offer and develop innovative responses to some of the deepest gaps in service provision for our communities.

I would like to thank the whole Project 6 team. Every day, colleagues change lives, save lives and support people to make positive and meaningful changes. Their commitment, compassion and expertise are at the heart of everything we achieve.

My thanks also go to our Trustees, who give their time, knowledge and expertise to provide valued governance, challenge and support to the Executive team. Their contribution helps ensure Project 6 remains well led, accountable and focused on its purpose.

And, as always, my heartfelt thanks go to our volunteers. Their time, commitment and dedication add immense value to our services, our teams and our communities. As we look ahead, we do so with confidence in our purpose, pride in our people and determination to keep making a difference where it matters most.

Finances

In 2025–26, Project 6 continued to manage its finances carefully while responding to rising costs, changing contract values and growing demand across our services. Total income was £3,665,792, while total expenditure was £3,630,526, resulting in an in-year surplus of £35k.

During the year, we continued to invest in services and infrastructure where this helped us meet local need, strengthen delivery and support our teams. This included funding changes across key partnerships, new or expanded areas of work, and the ongoing costs of maintaining accessible premises.

We also responded to financial pressures affecting the wider voluntary sector, including flat contract values, increases in employer costs and continuing cost-of-living pressures. These challenges required careful planning so that we could protect frontline delivery, support staff fairly and keep the organisation financially resilient.

At year-end, our reserves position remained within policy, with total reserves of £1,019,655. This gives Project 6 a stable foundation from which to continue delivering high-quality support while planning responsibly for the future. That stability is strengthened by the supporters, partners, funders and volunteers who stand alongside our work.

Supporters

Our thanks go to everyone who has stood alongside Project 6 this year. This report shows what is possible when people, communities, partners, funders and volunteers work together with compassion, trust and belief in change.

Thank you to our partners and stakeholders across health, housing, social care, local government and the voluntary sector. Your collaboration helps make support more connected, accessible and responsive to the people and communities we serve.

Thank you to our grant funders, commissioners, donors and fundraisers for continuing to invest in our work. Your support helps us strengthen frontline services, respond to emerging need and create space for new ideas, innovation and community-led change.

A special thank you goes to our volunteers and staff, whose time, skill, generosity and courage shape so much of what Project 6 achieves.

Most of all, we thank the people who use our services for trusting, challenging and inspiring us. It takes courage to walk through our doors, and we are grateful to everyone who has taken that step.

Our Trustees:

• Kes Lewis
• Jane McGeagh
• Anthony Ball
• David Baiyeshea
• Taposhree Baruah
• Lynn Lawson
• Quentin Marris
• Sarfraz Arif
• Umar Iqbal

Senior Leadership Team

• Jo Jepson – Chief Executive
• Ruth Bowditch – Director of Finance
• Dean Andrew-Cooper – Director of People
• Elise Grehan – Director of Operations
• Faye Taylor-Hannah – Director of Operations
• Jon Gooch – Director of Business and Digital

Registered office:

11–19 Temple Street

Keighley

West Yorkshire

BD21 2AD