Derry addiction recovery services team up to provide extra opportunities for those in residential treatment

The new collaborative partnership will see Northlands, a residential rehabilitation centre, transport residents to ARC Fitness once a week for fitness sessions and support is being formed in an attempt to widen the service offering of both organisations and also improve the physical health of those engaging in residential treatment.

While the partnership itself is new, the two organisations have paired up before to host the annual ‘Recovery Walk NI’, Northern Ireland’s largest outdoor recovery event. Tommy Canning, Northland’s Head of Treatment also featured as a keynote speaker at ARC’s recent ‘Recovery in Motion’ conference.

ARC Fitness founder and Strategic Coordinator, Gary Rutherford said: “We’re really excited about partnering with the Northlands Centre which has been servicing this city and beyond in the field of addiction recovery for over 40 years.

"The lives positively impacted by the Northland’s team and the support they have provided to individuals struggling with substance misuse and their families is nothing short of commendable and therefore we couldn’t be prouder to solidify the relationship between our two organisations.

"This partnership also demonstrates how beneficial such collaborations between addiction services in the city can be. We are all fighting this fight together and it’s essential that we find new ways to work and support each other for the benefit of those people using our much-needed services.”

When the Northland residents are welcomed at ARC they are supported by qualified and accredited coaches who not only seek to introduce them to the gym and physical fitness but also the ethos of ARC including the organisation's desire to empower people in recovery and build them back up physically following active addiction. Not only does the partnership offer physical benefits but it also offers an opportunity to show Northland service users that there are other services in the community that can help them following their time in residential support.

Tommy Canning, Northland’s Head of Treatment said: “It was highlighted to us in quite a few of our residents' exit evaluations that they would have enjoyed the opportunity for some more physical exercise during their time in residential treatment and while we were keen to address this gap in our service, we were also very conscious that the space we would send our residents to would be safe, therapeutic and compassionate and it’s quite clear that ARC Fitness covers all these areas.

“The weekly visit to ARC not only adds something extra to our treatment model but it also gives the residents the opportunity to either return to an exercise space or perhaps take up exercise for the first time. It also offers a natural entry point to ARC, a service that they could potentially avail of following their time in Northlands.

“There is a great need for more collaborative working within the world of addiction services and while the opposite of addiction is connection, it’s also important that we partner with other organisations who align with our ethos. It became clear through many discussions between Northlands and ARC that we are natural partners who share very similar ideas and thoughts around addiction services and we look forward to continuing celebrating recovery together.”

ARC Fitness is a non-profit organisation that was first launched in 2019 by Gary, a registered mental health nurse and a qualified personal trainer. It seeks to give individuals, who are recovering from addiction and substance mis-use, the opportunity to focus on improving their mental and physical wellbeing through physical activity, professional support, and re-connection with community.

For more information on ARC Fitness and their services or to partner with ARC in any way, visit https://arcfitness.uk/.