ARC Fitness in Derry launch new 2024 campaign to highlight ‘Collective Effort’ in Recovery

The local organisation is running the year-long campaign with the aim of highlighting that the road to recovery is not, and should not, be an individual conquest but in fact it is a collective effort and not one that anyone needs to face alone.

‘Recover Together’ will see ARC host a series of public events across the city in 2024 including the annual ARC Fitness Health Fair -’Health Fest NW’ that is set to take place on April 10, ARC’s 3k Colour Dash, the annual ‘Recovery in Motion’ Conference, the NI Recovery Walk and a variety of pop up fitness, awareness raising and community focused events that will span the next 12 months.

ARC Founder and the group’s Strategic Coordinator, Gary Rutherford said: “This campaign isn't just about raising awareness and putting on fun events for the public. It’s so much more. It's a celebration of the entire recovery community, as well as the victories and the strength that can be found in community engagement.

“Our city is a tapestry of diversity, both in experiences, and viewpoints. It’s also a city that is no stranger to the negative impact of substance use and so with that in mind, we at ARC believe it’s time to revel in our diversity and work together to build a resilient and inclusive recovery focused society.

“Recovery truly is a collective endeavour and through ‘Recover Together’ we want to advocate for collaborative resilience, urging communities to connect and support one another. Let's pool our resources, share knowledge, and foster a culture of support to forge an unbreakable bond in our journey to tackle addiction.

“We’re so excited to not only be launching our new 2024 campaign for the benefit of the community and friends of ARC but also for the entire city and the NW as a whole.

"We’re going to be hosting a series of events across the next 12 months and we’d love to encourage as many people as possible to get involved. Whether you’ve been personally affected by addiction or not, we believe there is a place at the table for us all and we look forward to seeing what the next year brings.”

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

Through the belief that recovery communities, such as the ones built through ARC, are more than just a collection of people with shared experiences in the areas of addiction and recovery. But in fact they include families, friends, health workers, educators, employers, governmental leaders, and advocates. This belief is the driving force behind ARC Fitness and their many initiatives that are created and ran for the betterment of all areas of society.

Anyone interested in learning more about ARC, the ‘Recover Together’ campaign or who would like to partner with ARC is urged to visit https://arcfitness.co.uk.