Project 6

11-19 Temple Street

Keighley West Yorkshire

BD21 2AD

Charity No. 1173006

Company No. 3430925

Board of Trustees:

Kes Lewis – Chair

Anthony Ball – Treasurer

Sarfraz Arif

Umar Iqbal

Lynn Lawson

Quentin Marris

Jane McGeagh#

Senior Leadership Team:

Jo Jepson – CEO

Caroline Britton – Deputy CEO

Ruth Bowditch – Director of Finance

Scott Carrick – Director of People

Jo Jepson

Project 6 CEO

During this year, Project 6 experienced a leadership transition. Vicki Beere, our long-standing and highly respected CEO, stepped down at the end of August 2024. I assumed the role of incoming CEO in September. As such, much of what is reported here reflects the energy, passion, and direction Vicki brought to the organisation.

Joining Project 6 has been a deeply humbling and inspiring journey. I have witnessed first-hand the profound impact this charity has on people’s lives — igniting hope, walking alongside individuals, and delivering support through a holistic and compassionate lens.

As I stepped into the CEO role, Project 6 was in a strong and stable position. However, as the year progressed, it became increasingly clear that the wider sector faced significant challenges. Many organisations across our region have been affected by the changing political climate, both the shifting priorities of the new government, the impact of increased national insurance costs and wider sector instability following years of short-term funding. By the end of the year, we still lacked clarity on our contracts and grants, with the period from December to March marked by widespread uncertainty. We worked closely with VCS colleagues to ensure our influence could be maximised during this time. Now, with a better understanding of how both the sector and the communities we work with have been affected, we are looking forward to opportunities that come with change.

At the point I joined Project 6 in September 2024 the charity had recently undergone a large-scale project implementation. Although some cultural shifts were still settling, the workforce showed resilience — working hard to navigate challenges and build future sustainability and stability. We have focused on strengthening relationships with key stakeholders, including our volunteers and people accessing our services. I’ve been greatly moved by the passion, compassion, and dedication of everyone involved, which speaks volumes about the legacy of Vicki’s leadership.

1. We will put the needs of people and communities who use our services at the heart of our work.

Our Your Voice events aim to ensure voices from across Project 6 and beyond play a meaningful role in making decisions on key issues affecting the organisation. These events run at each location across our footprint and reflect the different needs of our communities. Project 6 has been grown up from the community and this year Your Voice brought together local stakeholders, staff, Trustees, people accessing our services and those who might one day in the future, to look at the challenges we face and how we will meet these together.

Throughout the year we have created opportunities to showcase the success of our services. This has created useful spaces to engage commissioners and local councillors in conversations alongside staff, volunteers and people accessing our services, further reducing the gap between the people who use services and those who commission them.

In West Yorkshire we completed a comprehensive South Asian community needs assessment project with partners. This received excellent levels of engagement and started to build strong relationships. From this we had some rich qualitative and quantitative data and a commitment from the community to keep working towards the recommendations. We were disappointed that funding that had initially been set aside for the future of this project did not materialise, however we are committed to continue to look for alternative ways of ensuring this work continues.

2. We will position Project 6 as experts in the field.

This year Project 6 delivered our second Ideas Conference, discussing ideas around belonging, inclusion and culturally relevant support in our sector. We welcomed practitioners, commissioners, activists and other professionals from across our region to Sheffield. It was fascinating to be part of open and honest conversations exploring ways different groups may be excluded from support, anti-racist practice and what it really means to truly meet the needs of our communities.

We successfully submitted an abstract to deliver at the European Harm Reduction conference in Warsaw in December, which saw two of our team present at this conference. In addition, women from our Fresh Start service participated in a project with Dr Lisa Williams from the University of Manchester, exploring stigma experienced by women accessing support.

This year our MAST project won the Charity Collaboration of the year at the Charity Times Awards, which was fantastic recognition of the multi-agency project teams and leadership, as well as the outstanding outcomes achieved.

Our People team were finalists in the Yorkshire HR Wellbeing Awards, alongside teams representing national and international businesses. This recognised the continued development of innovative policies and training that has taken place this year.

3. We will maintain and improve our internal systems and processes to provide the best possible services.

After nearly 40 years, Project 6 left our Abbeydale Road building in Sheffield for a new space in the city centre. Although this decision was taken to provide new facilities and improve the accessibility of our services, for many Abbeydale Road held important memories. This change allowed us to explore our purpose and identity in the city, reflecting on what makes our spaces valuable and bringing that with us.

We have implemented our Safeguarding Committee this year, which has enabled us to focus more fully on the vulnerabilities of the people we work with. This has allowed Trustees to stay informed of our processes and local challenges whilst ensuring we continue to work effectively and compassionately within the Health and Social Care system.

4. We will become a learning organisation.

Our new People Strategy was launched, which focused on the three key areas of retention of staff, becoming a learning organisation, and belonging. This work has been strengthened by additional developments of our induction process, internal training offer, and leadership development.

We have continued to renew and build strong networks with other charities working in the sector. Sharing knowledge and skills is an important part of our local VCS community and we have also taken the opportunity to travel further afield to see examples of best practice taking place in other projects across the country.

5. We will provide a flexible and diverse funding structure.

We recognise that as the funding landscape changes, and local authority and other system commissioners must flex in line with the new political approaches, we will need to think creatively about how we can continue to innovate new services, maintain what we have, and balance real terms reducing contract values. Our activity around this has now taken on a more structured approach, with defined activities planned for the forthcoming year.

During 2024 we continued to work closely with fundraising consultants, who supported our delivery against the Income Generation Strategy. The momentum from this will continue into next year as we look to build a sustainable funding model.

6. We will become a diverse organisation.

The work to address decades of imbalance in our sector will not take place quickly, however change must happen. This year Liz Mytton led our staff in training around anti-racism, using theatre techniques to allow people to be both inquisitive and have challenging conversations. This theme was also explored further at our conference as we asked what the sector needs to do to take meaningful action. We consider this is a vital piece of work to understanding the communities we represent, employ and support. Therefore, it is a thread that informs our recruitment practice, and we have an active strategic focus to represent other groups within our services.

This year we agreed the development of Affinity groups for our staff; these are co-designed and facilitated by group members. They will provide a space for people to explore some of the challenges and advantages difference can bring within Project 6.

Kes Lewis

Chair of Trustees

Project 6 had another successful year with local, national, and international impact.

Our new CEO, Jo Jepson, has settled in well and I was honoured when my fellow Trustees elected me as Chair in December 2024, following the departure of Jo Morley to focus on her changed personal circumstances. I’d like to thank both Vicki Beere and Jo M for their hard work over the years, and for taking the time to hand over their respective roles with skill and grace.

As ever, Project 6 is made by its people, at all levels, in all roles, whether employee or volunteer, and I extend my thanks here too for creating such a successful and compassionate organisation even during trying socioeconomic and political times. And of course, our service users, without whom we wouldn’t exist. Thank you for your trust in us for this part of your journey.

Project 6 had several notable highlights and successes during 24/25. On the local frontline, Bradford experienced a contaminated batch of Spice, which led to many hospitalisations. Over the week, Project 6 teams responded quickly and effectively, working alongside partners in the city, including the Police, to monitor incidents, gather intelligence, and ultimately keep people safe. They received a letter of appreciation from Sarah Muckle, Director of Public Health, praising the team’s work.

Regionally, the People team were finalists in the Yorkshire HR Workplace Wellbeing Awards for their work implementing a new staff wellbeing strategy. They have also created a sector-leading Family Leave policy, ensuring our staff have access to flexible leave options, regardless of sexuality, gender, or family arrangements.

On the national level, MAST won the Charity Collaboration of the Year at the Charity Times Awards. This showcases both our effective services and the co-creative and innovative ways we design and deliver them for maximum impact. MAST is a partnership of five charities that work in hospitals and out in the community, to reduce pressures on emergency departments and reduce hospital readmissions.

On the international stage, Deputy Director Jon Gooch and HR Service Manager Dave Tebbit led a workshop at the European Harm Reduction conference in Warsaw in partnership with the University of Manchester. This saw the organisation present alongside representatives from the UN, national governments, and senior policy makers and researchers.

Alongside these achievements, we have continued our culture of continuous learning & improvement. We have established a Safeguarding Subcommittee from the Board, reflecting the importance of this area alongside the existing subcommittees of People, Finance, and Performance Management & Quality. We have implemented new IT systems for incident recording and safeguarding concerns, giving us more comprehensive information and allowing for a strategic view of trends and needs.

Project 6’s Sheffield premises have moved, from our longstanding home at Abbeydale Road to new premises at Cumberland Street. There is a thriving community with a range of social and treatment areas available for us, all within easy reach of the city centre. This was a significant change for staff, volunteers, and service users, alongside the logistical and practical challenges, and I’m thrilled that it has been a complete success.

Inevitably, the Autumn Budget created pressures for Project 6, and we had selected Jo as our new CEO with this eventuality in mind. The Board had decided to give more weight to income generation beyond our traditional sources of grants and commissions, and our 2025-2028 strategy reflects that, diversifying our sources to insulate us somewhat from government policy decisions so we can continue to deliver our services where, when, and how they are needed. The Board congratulates Scott Carrick on his permanent appointment to a combined role of Director of People, Learning & Development. Scott’s team is offering a partnership package to local businesses, incorporating training and support in identifying and helping employees at risk of, or struggling with substance use.

We are continuing to raise our profile across the region with our revitalised Your Voice events, bringing together staff, service users, commissioners, key stakeholders, Trustees, and volunteers to showcase the impact Project 6 has, and the way working together is the heartbeat of our organisation. For all the changes, we remain committed to our values that People Matter, Everyone Can Change, and We Care About Doing Things Well. I’m excited to see how much we can change our world for the better over the coming 12 months.

Core Purpose

To provide opportunities and choices for individuals, families and communities to create meaningful and sustainable change in their wellbeing.

 We work with people experiencing problematic drug and alcohol use and multiple disadvantage. These issues don’t just impact on the individual, they also affect families and communities.

To achieve this, we deliver services in 4 key 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 as well as creating a great place to work where all members of Project 6 feel 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

Headline Achievements

This year we consolidated our two large partnership contracts within the main treatment system in Bradford and Sheffield, strengthening our service delivery, reaching more people, and meeting people in the community on their own terms.

Some of our achievements this year include:

• 82% of individuals demonstrated positive changes in one or more of our core outcome areas
• 8163 individuals received services, above our contracted target of 6464, 26% above target
• Volunteers donated 13,604 hours to Project 6, with a financial value of £215,487
• The MAST service received the ‘Collaboration of the Year Award’ at the annual Charity Times Awards.
• The Likewise Recovery Hub Teams has developed the service’s first Ambassadors Programme, a structured course of training and development which equips people looking to work within the drug and alcohol field with the skills and knowledge to go on to successful careers.
• Our community development workers continued to build strong connections with groups who are often less represented in services. We were pleased to be able to set up the first Polish speaking SMART meeting in England.
• Better Together, a community led LERO project in Doncaster were invited to the city’s Combatting Drugs Partnership meetings to bridge the gap between the senior levels within Public Health and Doncaster Council and the people most affected by drug policy.
• At Beat-Herder festival we provided welfare support for 173 adults at our onsite yurt, with 800 outreach interventions, and 1000 festival goers came to us for harm reduction information.
• We continued to support staff resilience through a range of wellbeing initiatives and staff support schemes.

Our Services

We work with individuals and families to achieve meaningful and sustainable impact and improve life chances.

The communities we work in have suffered disproportionately as a result of health inequalities, austerity and stigma. By increasing capacity where the need was greatest, meeting people where they are, and developing our new services to address gaps in provision, we have adapted effectively to meet the needs of our local communities. We continue to offer choices with digital, one-to-one, group work, and face-to-face services to meet the needs of those most vulnerable.

Harm Reduction

We deliver a range of harm reduction services across the Bradford district as part of the New Vision Bradford partnership. Creating accessible spaces for Needle and Syringe Programmes, specialist harm reduction advice, and supporting new people into treatment services across the district. This year we trained over 300 people in the use of Naloxone and delivered harm reduction training to 27 different organisations, within the third, private and public sector.

Our Third Place project works with people engaged in street drinking and some of the most vulnerable and excluded groups in Keighley. This year we saw 878 contacts via our drop in, providing a range of harm reduction interventions, food, and support with basic needs. The Third Place has supported 71 people with substance use interventions and 15 people into treatment pathways. 60% of attendees showed improvements in mental and physical health through contact with the project.

The Hospital Mentoring Service (HMS) works with people over 50 who have been admitted to hospital as a consequence of alcohol use. HMS provides peer mentoring to prevent relapse and re-admittance. The team includes a specialist worker to focus on people with Wernicke Korsakoff Syndrome (WKS) and Alcohol Related Brain Damage (ARBD). HMS received 484 referrals from the hospital ACT (Alcohol Care Team) with 73% of people being taken onto caseload for support in the community. Only 9% of people were re-admitted to hospital within 30 days of working with the HMS team, well below the target of 40%.

Support Services

Our Support Services are based locally in our communities and within primary and secondary care services. They provide open-door access, meeting people’s immediate needs. They offer crisis interventions, harm reduction advice, structured drug and alcohol treatment, health and wellness interventions, and information and awareness sessions.

Our Keighley Pathways Service (KPS) is a partnership project offering open access, specialist support in a range of areas to anyone in Keighley who feels they are at a time of crisis. This year Keighley Pathways has received 969 visits, providing 1334 bespoke interventions. By offering the right support at the right time, we diverted people from the local health and social care services. 80% of people reported an improvement in their health and wellbeing after attending KPS and 96% knew where to go in the future to deal with a crisis.

Our Community Development workers continue to take steps towards making our services more accessible to lesser reached communities in Doncaster. Our Central Eastern European (CEE) worker has completed interventions with 80 people, across 19 events in the city. Additionally, they have taken on a caseload of 50 people from the CEE community who were not previously accessing recovery support with Project 6.

Our LGBTQ+ worker in Doncaster reached 506 people across 64 events in the city. They engaged with people from the community to better connect them with recovery support, as well as exploring ways to improve the current offer. The LGBTQ+ worker has now taken on a caseload of 14 people and continues to collaborate with other organisations and facilitate events in community spaces.

Airedale ASIST Service

The ASIST service is delivered by a team of specialist alcohol support workers, who liaise closely with the Multi Agency Support Team (MAST), Psychiatric Liaison Nurses (PLN) of the Mental Health team and staff on the wards at Airedale General Hospital (AGH). They deliver timely, motivational interventions at the bedside of patients admitted to hospital for alcohol related reasons. These can either be direct, such as liver disease, pancreatitis and gastro-intestinal problems, or indirect such as injuries caused by trips and falls. Each admission is potentially a teachable moment, so ASIST workers visit AGH daily to engage new admissions and attempt to encourage them to address their problematic alcohol use. This year they have received 111 referrals, working with patients in the hospital and intensively 64 patients on discharge.

MAST

Multi Agency Support Team (MAST) is a VCS led service made up of 5 organisations that works across acute and community settings in Bradford and Craven (Bradford Royal Infirmary and Airedale General).

The service was developed to relieve pressures on the health and care system by reducing unnecessary hospital readmissions. MAST works with people in Emergency Departments with intensive follow-up support in the community. It works on an integrated basis with the NHS and social care.

MAST works in collaboration with both with the public sector and VCS organisations, which enables the team to provide effective in-hospital interventions with continued support out into the community. This ensures people do not ‘fall through the cracks’ and are provided with the right support for their specific needs.

MAST is made of workers from:

• Alcohol support: Project 6 (Lead)Mental health support:
• The Cellar Trust
• Older people’s support:
• Carer’s Resource
• Social Prescribing: Hale and Keighley Healthy Living

“MAST is a fantastic example of collaborative working across services and sectors. The project’s design enables NHS West Yorkshire to blend funding with the Local Authority and work in equal partnership with the VCS. There are multiple benefits and positive results from the project, primarily more tailored and effective care for local people in their communities. The NHS benefits in a variety of ways, including mental health and acute services working more effectively, and enabling service users to access more appropriate care. Having met someone recently who benefited from the project, she shared that it had in some ways saved her life. I share MAST as a best practice example of our work across sectors in our West Yorkshire Health & Care Partnership, especially with NHS colleagues nationally.”

Cathy Elliott, Former Chair of NHS West Yorkshire

In 2024:

Mast delivered 5,866 sessions of support in hospital and 2,132 sessions in communities

• 90% of people supported by MAST were not re-admitted to hospital
• 87% showed improved wellbeing, with an average wellbeing score improvement of 34%
• 92% of people agreed they were supported to overcome challenges impacting their mental health
• 77% felt more hopeful about the future and better able to seek support independently

Families Services

Our Families Services work with some of the most vulnerable families in Keighley and Sheffield. The interventions provide direct benefit to families, concerned others, grandparents and kin carers; this helps achieve sustainable, positive outcomes for the whole family.

Fresh Start in Sheffield supports women who have had one or more children removed by the local authority, to take time out from parenting, deal with loss and learn new skills for the future. This year the service worked with 19 mothers who have had children removed, providing over 1297 hours of contact. Fresh Start have developed a bespoke peer support service for women to access during and on discharge, delivered and lead by women from the programme.

In Keighley, our Family Support Service worked with 60 concerned others, to build skills in understanding and managing feelings, increase resilience and reduce risk. Weekly peer led support groups provide space for people to share concerns, ask questions and connect with others facing similar challenges.

We work with vulnerable young people to increase resilience and reduce risk, using evidence-based approaches which inspire and enable individuals to take more responsibility for themselves and their own actions. In Keighley, our Young Persons Resilience Service – RISE worked with 144 young people, providing weekly one-to-one interventions to those experiencing mental health issues that are below the threshold for CAMHS. 98% showed an improvement in resilience.

Recovery Services

Our vibrant Recovery Services in Doncaster, Sheffield and Keighley aim to provide long term, sustainable recovery from problematic drug and alcohol use. We achieve outstanding results through a range of therapeutic groups, health and wellness activities, Structured Recovery and Active Citizens programmes, peer support, training and volunteering opportunities.

Our Structured Recovery Programme is an intensive 12-session course which consolidates the positive life changes people in recovery have achieved through statutory treatment

service or personal rehabilitation journeys. This year 123 people have completed the course within 29 programmes. 87% of people report an increase in recovery capital and are less likely to engage in harmful substance use and 86% were feeling more resilient, with improved social networks.

Active Citizens are people who care about their local communities and the places they live. By taking an active role in decision making they can help influence positive change and take a leadership role in shaping how their communities function. 24 Active Citizens Programmes have been completed across all sites, offering volunteering opportunities and accredited Recovery Coaching courses.

We have taken steps to retain and build on our volunteer capacity within our Recovery Services, delivering peer mentor and volunteer training. This year, through the New Vision Bradford partnership, we have significantly increased the numbers of volunteers in Keighley. We have 85 active volunteers across the organisation supporting our delivery.

Better Together is a Lived Experience Recovery Organisation (LERO) in Doncaster. The project is led by people with lived experience of problematic substance use and works to consult with the wider community and research the experiences of people to identify barriers to accessing support and unmet need. They work alongside Public Health and the local Combatting Drugs Partnership.

Sober Social in Doncaster was established to support people in recovery from alcohol and other drugs in a community setting. From its city centre location the service provides one-to-one interventions as well as a timetable of activities five days a week, most of which are facilitated by volunteers. Sober Social is designed to be open door access with many people referring themselves to the project. This year Sober Social received 135 new referrals and ran 680 skill and wellbeing activities with a cumulative attendance of 1968.

The ARC

“Recovery: Lived experience of improved quality of life and sense of empowerment”

Best and Laudets’ (2010)

Research shows that the likelihood of relapse reduces to less than 15% around 5 years into a person’s recovery. Longer term support that helps people identify goals, maintain motivation and build social and recovery capital is essential in order to reduce the chance of relapse and re-entering treatment in the future.

The ARC is a recovery community in Sheffield that provides hope, choice and opportunities with a focus on relapse prevention.

There is no ‘one size fits all’ and each person will find different types of support more meaningful than others in their recovery journey. People often describe their experience of substance use services as something that was done to them rather than with them, or that the options available were limited to what is desired by the majority. Providing genuine choice means working with people to set their own goals, providing a diverse range of support, and enabling people to take a lead on designing new activities that fill the gaps. The ARC works with individuals to help them identify new opportunities as they consolidate the changes they have made.

The ARC delivers a full timetable of activities six days a week. This includes a mix of therapeutic, peer support and wellbeing groups. The timetable is facilitated by two members of paid staff, 15 volunteers and people accessing the service. All these individuals have experienced the impact of problematic substance use in their lives. The ARC provides a space where people are able to develop their own identity in recovery; this includes people who are looking for further support after structured treatment as well as individuals beginning to contemplate making changes. The service is led by the community of people who access the service, rather than support that is ‘done for’ people, it is the community that design and shape the ARC with each other. It offers a place where people can explore their personal and professional growth while discovering new challenges and taking on leadership roles within the recovery community.

We recognise the role that opportunities for progression have in helping people maintain longer-term recovery. Although not every person will want to within the ARC, for those who do the service offers a wide range of opportunities including group facilitation, accredited Recovery Coaching, and professional skills training. The project also has strong links with other organisations that offer training, education and experience that extend into different areas and settings.

Hope is a key element of the recovery process. Individuals who have successfully made changes can be important role models for others. Within the ARC, more established members of the community provide support and guidance to those who are newer.

“Recovery can feel like losing something, the way drugs made me feel, the connections you had, a way of living; within the ARC the focus is on what can gain, both for yourself, your family and your community.”

Project 6 Training Services

Our Training Team deliver high quality and innovative training that promotes excellence in working with a range of vulnerable groups. The team deliver training both internally and to the external market. This year we’ve seen real progress across our training offer, both in terms of reach and impact.

The Changing Futures programme continues to be a key part of our work in Sheffield. We’ve delivered training to over 700 people from around 60 organisations, helping professionals build their confidence and understanding when working with people facing multiple disadvantage. The programme has now been extended for another year, during which we’ll start to transition from individual sessions to delivery of the new Multiple Disadvantage Practitioner Course. This course was co-designed with people working directly in the field but also those who’ve experienced multiple disadvantage themselves and is currently going through CPD accreditation.

Across all our training, feedback has been consistently strong, with evaluation scores averaging 4 out of 5. People regularly tell us they leave our sessions feeling better equipped, more confident and more able to support the people they work with.

In Keighley and Bradford, our Community Education work through the New Vision partnership has continued to grow. Alongside core training on Naloxone and Drugs and Alcohol Awareness, we’ve started developing more focused harm reduction sessions for specific groups. These include parents and maternity professionals, and cover topics like stimulant use and club drugs.

This year also saw the launch of our pilot People Matter, our new training subscription offers for employers. It gives organisations access to a rolling programme of topics like Supporting a Loved One with Drug or Alcohol Use, Drugs and Alcohol in the Workplace, and Working in a Trauma-Informed Way. Subscribers also get a bespoke session tailored to their team, a co-branded policy, and public recognition for their commitment to staff wellbeing. It’s a practical, values-led way for employers to support their people while helping us reach new sectors and challenge stigma more widely.

We’ve also rolled out a new onboarding programme for all new starters at Project 6. It gives a consistent introduction to who we are, how we work and what’s expected, while helping people feel supported from day one. This sits alongside our internal training calendar, which continues to grow and respond to what staff tell us they need.

Our leadership development offer has also taken another step forward. We’ve continued to focus on coaching skills, person-centred leadership and understanding neurodiversity. The offer now includes staff who are not yet in leadership roles but show potential, helping us build future managers from within.

For more information about any of our courses or the People Matter package, contact us at training@project6.org.uk.

Our Outcomes & Impact

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

Individuals: In our annual Satisfaction Survey 95% of individuals reported improvements in mental health and wellbeing and 99% reported improved physical health.

Families: Alcohol and other drug use, as well as other challenges to wellbeing, don’t only affect the person experiencing them; the harm can extend to the whole family. By adopting a family-focussed approach across our services we believe we achieve a greater impact. 91% of our service users in our annual Satisfaction Survey reported improved relationships with families and friends.

Communities: By being a visible and active presence in our local communities, we can reduce the stigma and discrimination experienced by people using our services. A community where people have clear and open pathways to support reduces the cost to local services and helps rebuild social cohesion. 86% of people responding to our annual Satisfaction Survey felt more connected to their community and able to play a positive role, with 97% feeling optimistic about their ability to have a positive future.

“The service adds structure to my week, and over time I look forward to seeing familiar faces. It’s a chance to listen to other people’s stories, relate, and hear your own voice too”

From our Satisfaction Survey 2024

Core Outcomes

Our services, activities and interventions are designed to facilitate positive changes, which lead to meaningful and sustained impact through our core outcomes.

Improved mental health and wellbeing

• 95% of individuals reported improvements in mental health and wellbeing in our annual Satisfaction Survey
• 76% of people using the ARC project reported improvements in their mental health and wellbeing.
• 98% of young people using our RISE service reported increases in resilience.

Improved physical health and wellbeing

• 99% of individuals reported improvements in physical health and wellbeing in our annual Satisfaction Survey
• 85% of residents at Pinder House report reductions in their alcohol use
• 82% of people using Sober Social report improved physical health and wellbeing.

“Attending Sober Social has given me hope, because without this place I don’t know where I would be… I no longer feel alone, I am with like-minded people experiencing the same thing without judgement or prejudice. It is an amazing place; everyone is so supporting and caring.”

From our Satisfaction Survey 2024

Delivering on our Values

This year we asked people who used our services how they feel about us:

• 99% feel respected and not judged
• 99% feel treated as an equal
• 99% feel that the service really believes in their ability to make changes
• 98% feel the service goes the extra mile when needed
• 98% feel that they’re learning how to help themselves

“How I was and felt, when picked up by the service – what I had at the time. Compared with how I feel and what I value is light and dark. I did not think it possible but they never gave up believing in me.”

From our Satisfaction Survey 2024

Improved relationships with family and friends

• 91% of individuals reported improved relationships with family and friends in our annual Satisfaction Survey
• 95% of people attending our Maternity Service reported they had developed more positive relationships with friends and family
• 98% of young people in RISE reported improved relationships with family and friends since coming to our services

Greater Community Connectedness

• 88% of people in our annual Satisfaction Survey feel more accepted as part of their community and able to give something back
• 82% of people attending Sober Social report an increase in recovery capital
• 65% of people using our MAST Community service reported feeling more accepted by the wider community

Improved Life Chances

• 97% of people responding to our annual Satisfaction Survey felt more optimistic about their ability to have a positive future
• 80% of people coming to Keighley Pathways feel that they know where to go in future to reduce the impact of a crisis
• 83% of people accessing the ARC project report improvement in life chances for the future on discharge

Ali

The Hospital Monitoring Service work with people over 40 who have been admitted to hospital in connection with their alcohol use. They work with people to help reduce the harm around their drinking and ensure they are connected to the right support in the community.

Wernicke’s and Korsakoff’s Syndrome occurs in individuals after long periods of heavy drinking. Symptoms can include memory loss, black outs, cognitive impairment and poor co-ordination. Support for those with Alcohol Related Brain Damage (ARBD) is often limited and the additional barriers this creates is not widely understood. People with ARBD are often excluded from support because their symptoms can be confused with someone who is intoxicated. Due to the impact on memory they may struggle to remember when and where appointments are, this can lead to them being dismissed by professionals as unmotivated or ‘unwilling to engage’.

With time, patience, regular support and reassurance, ARBD patients are able to make significant improvements to their alcohol use, self-care and lifestyle.

Ali was referred to the Hospital Mentoring Service by Sheffield Teaching Hospital’s Alcohol Care Team with a diagnosis of Korsakoff’s Syndrome. They were having frequent hospital inpatient stays and had expressed that they wanted to be abstinent from alcohol but had previously struggled to maintain this or access support services.

A care package had been put in place prior to discharge, and the HMS team planned their first home visit to coincided with a visit from Ali’s carers and family to ensure they were able to understand HMS’s role and discuss how we could jointly support the Ali.

Through discussion with Ali, their sister, carers and our team, a plan was developed which incorporated routine, structure and journaling each day, plus practical support such as organising a food delivery and planning travel routes so they could meet us in the community.

HMS started meeting with Ali in the park familiar to them, before gradually introducing them to the over 50’s SMART, and therapeutic activities at the ARC such as mindfulness and pottery. This was done slowly and regularly to help ensure Ali was able to create stronger memories of the journey to the building, the space and the people they came into contact with.

Since they began working with HMS, Ali has been able to remain abstinent for over 18 months, they had not managed to do previously. This is despite having suffered prolonged blackouts and seizures during this time. Journaling and writing down their activities, appointments and how they has been thinking and feeling has been a massive helpful for Ali, and the team have remained in regular contact with reminders, practical and emotional support. In this time they have also chosen to attend hospital drop-ins and health and wellbeing activities as well as contributing to consultation events to help shape future delivery of recovery services in Sheffield.

Due to them remaining abstinent from alcohol use, Neurology Consultants have been able to carry out more meaningful assessments and tests which have resulted in a recent diagnosis of Epilepsy which they now receive appropriate medication for, reducing the frequency and severity of their seizures.

My self-care has improved, the team (HMS) have enabled me to feel self-motivated, giving me a feeling of accomplishment and pride again. I have honesty with my peers. I no longer fear answering the phone, I can cook for myself. I found connection when I was disconnected from everything.

Since I started engaging with the HMS, I have a spring in my step. The HMS and Project 6 have been there when I have needed them and there has been a solution. I genuinely do not know where I would be without my sister and the continued support of the HMS.

P6 quickly became something I can call my own, a safe space. Every time I went it felt like meeting an old friend again.

Finances

Growth continued during the year but at a slower rate, with an increase in total income of 5.6%, equating to £201k. Expenditure increased at a higher rate, of 13.5%, equating to £470k, resulting in an in-year deficit, and reduction in total funds, of £158k. This compares to a surplus of £110k for 2024. Despite the deficit, free reserves have been protected and remain in line with the Reserves Policy of £350k undesignated free reserves.

Across the projects delivered in partnership with Waythrough, there has been an increase of £310k. These projects are now established and enter year three of their five years of funding.

There was an expansion of Sober Social, which resulted in an additional £153k. This additional funding enabled Project 6 to strengthen support in Doncaster for the LGBTQ and Central Eastern European communities and people over 50.

A couple of our projects have ended this year. In Sheffield, Journey, a specialist service supporting woman at risk of involvement with the legal system, ceased in March ‘24. Together with the utilisation of underspend across both Journey and the Hospital Mentoring Service projects, this has resulted in a reduction in income of £159k. The Winter Pressures project, funded by the VCS Alliance, ceased in August ‘24, resulting in a reduction in income by £121k.

Staffing costs remained our largest area expenditure. In addition to full mobilisation of the projects in partnership with Waythrough, the plan to strengthen the central support team during 2024, was fulfilled. Overall, staffing costs accounted for 72% of the total expenditure in 2025, compared to 70% in 2024.

In Sheffield, the move from Abbeydale Road to Cumberland Street was successfully completed during the year. Additional costs were incurred in relation to dilapidation costs, legals fees and removal fees. These totalled £68k. In addition, teams moved into Portland House to enable delivery of the Likewise project. This change of premises also includes additional rental charges.

At the year end, restricted reserves are £98k, unrestricted designated £120k, unrestricted Fixed Assets £410k and free reserves £356k, equating to a total reserves position of £984k.

In light of the increase in employers’ national insurance contributions, effective from April ‘25, the fact that salaries had not been increased during 2024, and the fact that many of our contracts are cash flat, not allowing for such increases in costs, a restructuring of the central support staff took place toward the end of 2024. This was completed by March ‘25. This was a particularly challenging period for our staff but allowed us to roll out a 2% salary increase for all staff. With cost-of-living pressures and concerns around staff recruitment and retention, this increase was deemed to be a necessary action.

The next 12 months

Jo Jepson

This has been a year of change for the whole team at Project 6, despite this we have had outstanding outcomes across all our services. While there have undoubtedly been some times of sadness at losses, farewells as people moved on, the team has remained passionate about the work that they do and the people we support, an inspirational bunch of people!

As Project 6 moves into its 35th year, we continue to see increases, both locally and nationally, in drug and alcohol related deaths. As an organisation we are committed to working to reduce these numbers. Project 6 was started in response to the impact drug use was having on a local community, we believe that through working in ethical partnership with others in our sector, health services and our wider communities we can find meaningful and sustainable solutions to addressing the problems that drive the health inequalities we see. As we look forward, we will continue to be guided by our core purpose of providing people with choice and opportunities.

My thanks to the whole Project 6 team and Board of Trustees who welcomed me into my role, and in particular the members of the Senior Leadership Team, Leadership Team and Executive Assistant, who made space for me to settle in and ensured that Project 6 continued to be the excellent service that it has always been. I look forward to facing challenges and opportunities in the future together, as a strong and passionate team of people who believe in our values and strive to improve the lives of others.

My thanks and appreciation also go to our teams of volunteers, their time, commitment and dedication is immense, the value that they bring to our services brings a huge benefit to the whole system, and without this we know that the cost to the public purse, to lives and communities would be much greater.

Supporters

Project 6 would like to say thank you to our partners and stakeholders who have supported us in numerous ways throughout the year.

A special thanks to all our volunteers whose dedication, commitment and generosity allows Project 6 to continue to deliver our services to the people who most need us.

Thank you to our grant funders who continue to believe in what we’re doing.

And thank you to everyone who fundraised and donated to our work. Everything we receive is used to enhance the delivery of front-line services.