Project FREE is a lived experience recovery organisation that supports adults with substance-related offending behaviour in Bury and Oldham, Greater Manchester.
Using lived experience and credible role models, they empower people leaving prison to break free from addiction and criminal behaviour to create lasting change.
The project was launched in 2023 by Bernard Shaw, after his own experiences with addiction after leaving prison in 2017. Now over eight years into his recovery journey, Bernard is working to help men aged over 25 who are going through a similar situation.
The programme not only addresses substance misuse, but also the underlying issues driving criminal behaviour, offering participants guidance, support, and practical tools to build a future free from addiction.
Bernard said: “I wanted to start Project FREE and just went for it. Two years down the line it’s started to take off. It’s my role to get people through the programme and into volunteering, so they can go on to inspire other people. It’s a ripple effect that keeps growing and growing”.
The team of volunteers at Project FREE is comprised of individuals are walking the path of recovery themselves, creating a strong connection with those who participate. By drawing on their own experiences, volunteer role models offer genuine understanding and motivation to help others break the cycle of addiction and offending.
He continued: “We connect with people at the prison gate. If they don’t get that lived experience support, the chances are we’re going to lose them back into a cycle of substance use and reoffending”.
Project FREE hasn’t been commissioned directly, but has been supported financially by a number of organisations, including The Calico Group, Red Rose Recovery, Turning Point, Bury Borough Council, GMCA and Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust via Achieve Bury Recovery Fund.
They also work in partnership with other recovery organisations to deliver services, including Acorn Recovery Projects, Gateway Floating Support, Action Together and more.
Working together to create positive change in the community
Many of the group’s activities and sessions are held at Red Door in Bury, which is run by homelessness charity, Caritas. The building offers a warm space for anyone struggling, providing regular meals, laundry facilities and showers to those in need.
After seeing the good work Project FREE do for the community, Caritas generously gave office and activity space for the team to have a base. “It’s a huge help”, Bernard added.
At the back of the building, nestled between St Joseph’s Church and local stores, is a garden space that’s being transformed from an ‘unloved jungle’ into a thriving community space – thanks to the volunteers at Project FREE and the generosity of their neighbours.
It’s their first big project as a team, and so far, it’s going great…
Bringing new life to the unloved
The garden space was overgrown and abandoned. Previously a church garden, it had been taken over by climbing ivy, unkept plants and mounds of litter discarded from people walking by.
The rotten gate leading into the space allowed anyone walking past to throw their rubbish or dump drug paraphernalia – but thanks to the hard work of the Project FREE clean-up squad, it’s now been cleared.
Lee, who was released two years ago following a 19-year period behind bars, is one of the volunteers who has helped transform the area. He said: “It’s great for the mind, body and soul. I feel great and I’m giving back. It’s great to see people’s expressions. I’ve been at the project for nearly two years. Just after leaving custody, I heard about Bernard, and I’ve been here ever since. It’s a lifeline for me”.
Lee continued: “It’s brilliant how everyone is coming together”.
Big plans for the future
Now the space has been freed from the years of neglect, the team have big plans to transform the area into a space for everyone to enjoy. On the agenda so far are colourful flower beds, picnic benches and a large mural to brighten up the exterior wall.
Their hard work hasn’t gone unnoticed either. Their neighbour from Fired Paint a Pot Café has been inspired by their efforts and wants to help the team achieve their goal.
Bernard continued: “She wants to support us with funding for a new gate and benches as she’s been trying to get something happening with this space for years. She wants to help to create a space we can both use and enjoy”.
Jewson, a close by building materials supplier, has also generously donated gravel to help the team neaten up the space even further.
Talking about the success of the group’s first big project together, Bernard said: “The impact it’s having on the community is really touching. It’s been a great project; everyone is really enjoying being a part of it”.
He added: “Everyone putting their own bit in and doing their part, it’s all about the result at the end”.
Alan has also been volunteering his time on the project, after probation reduced his risk assessment level so that he could engage with the project.
Discussing the impact Project FREE has made on him, he explained: “It’s turned my life around. All I’ve known was in and out, like the hokey cokey. Now I come here twice a week, every week. And it’s given me a totally different change of pace. I’m 60, I’ve no time to be wasting. It’s a good thing for me, it keeps me grounded and surrounds me with like-minded people”.
Alan continued: “Without being here, people would be back in and taking drugs. The positivity and connection make us like a tight knit family on the same page and it really helps”.
Karen Baggaley is a support worker at Project FREE. Talking about what volunteering on projects like the garden clean-up does for the recovery community, she said: “I think it gives people a purpose. It promotes connection and gives people the confidence and brings friendships together and gets them close”.
“They’ve all worked as a team, it’s been amazing seeing them work together and create something to be proud of, they’ve all done it so quickly. It’s all been done about 12 hours so far”.
Her colleague Emma Sharkey added: “It’ll help the community a lot. It’s going to make the street look better and gives us space to deliver our sessions. Wellbeing and mindfulness and outdoor groups, relaxation”.
Finalising his thoughts on the garden, Bernard concluded: “This is our first big project as a team, but how much it’s inspired the community has inspired us to do more. This street has had a big issue with drugs in the past, so it’s great to finally start turning it into something good”.
He continued: “A lady walking by even told me ‘You guys are all being talked about in the church. What you’re doing is absolutely amazing’. It’s great to hear such good feedback”.
To find out more about Project FREE, please visit https://redroserecovery.org.uk/project-free/ or get in touch by emailing: project.free@redroserecovery.org.uk
