The funding was secured through the University’s Centre for Addiction Recovery Research, run by Professor David Best, the world’s first Professor of Addiction Recovery, and Dr Arun Sondhi, Associate Professor in Addiction Recovery at Leeds Trinity University. 

It marks the start of a two-year project which aims to create pathways to community engagement, social enterprise and active citizenship for people in addiction recovery and other marginalised groups. Its aims are to build a network of Inclusive Recovery Cities, with a vision of improving community connections and wellbeing through public facing events celebrating recovery and challenging stigma, thus increasing opportunities for marginalised groups to rejoin society and rediscover their self-worth. 

Professor David Best, Director of the Centre for Addiction Recovery Research said: “This is the culmination of a long and fruitful partnership built on shared goals and values. This project will both enhance the partnership and provide the essential evidence base for a positive social movement for change, health equity and inclusion. Additionally, it will train and support a specialist in both community engagement and research coordination within one of the key Lived Experience Recovery Organisations in the UK.” 

Dot Smith, Chief Executive Officer at Recovery Connections said: "As a Lived Experience Recovery Organisation, we’re proud to partner with Leeds Trinity University on this vital project. Inclusive Recovery Cities offer a powerful platform for community-led action, enabling meaningful change that strengthens civic life and promotes inclusive, long-term recovery."

The initiative to create Inclusive Recovery Cities across the UK and globally has been years in the making, under the expert leadership of Professor David Best, the Centre for Addiction Recovery Research, and Recovery Connections. There are now 32 Inclusive Recovery Cities all around the world, of which there are ten in England, 14 in the Balkan region and two in the United States, with plans for more to join the project. Middlesbrough was the first city to become one, which underpins the efforts of Recovery Connections as the organisation at the forefront of addiction recovery in England. 

A KTP between Leeds Trinity University and Recovery Connections will solidify this longstanding collaboration and further expand the reach and awareness of the Inclusive Recovery Cities initiative, using evidence-based interventions. 

Professor Philip Hodgson, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Education at Leeds Trinity University said: “It is a huge achievement for the University to gain its first KTP and we are proud to be working with Recovery Connections on this vitally important project. Not only will the charity itself be provided with a vehicle for future growth, but this project is key to addressing one of the Government’s key priorities outlined in the UK Drug Strategy, From Harm to Hope. Its economic and societal impact is paramount and will have a significant impact, in the North-East in particular.” 

Fifty years ago, Leeds Trinity University’s roots were firmly grounded in teacher education. Growth over this time has seen the University evolve in research and applied knowledge exchange, underpinning its vision for the future.