Overview
Getting Clean is a Leeds-based community interest company (CIC) with a mission centred around addiction recovery, community improvement, and environmental sustainability. Their primary objectives include supporting individuals in recovery, enhancing the local community, creating pathways to employment, promoting environmentalism, and challenging addiction stereotypes.
Getting Clean CIC provide crucial peer-to-peer support for those on the journey to recovery, emphasising not only the cessation of substance use but also the therapeutic value of cleaner living for both individuals and their communities. Getting Clean have a holistic approach to healing, offering therapeutic experiences that go beyond conventional recovery methods. This includes not only breaking free from the physical dependency on substances but also addressing the underlying mental and emotional aspects of addiction.
Through soap-making workshops, Getting Clean offers a unique and therapeutic experience, providing peer-to-peer support, a supportive space for individuals on their recovery path, and building transferable skills to increase their employability.
The soaps go on to be sold on stalls and in their online store, raising funds to support the CIC. Their current aim is to sell more soap so that they can begin to employ their volunteers, paying them for their time and work.
Their members also actively engage in conservation projects and community clean-ups, combining environmental initiatives with personal and community betterment. These activities offer meaningful participation for members, fostering a sense of purpose and community belonging, while also improving local environments and facilities. They have formed meaningful partnerships with local businesses, government bodies, charities, and prisons to expand their impact.
Through their initiatives, Getting Clean is not only fostering personal development and contributing to the community. They are also addressing addiction stigma, recognising that addiction is a complex and pervasive issue that affects not only the individuals caught in its grip but also the wider community. They aim to inspire and challenge public perceptions about addiction, showcasing the potential for positive change and growth.
The £2,000 grant from John Good Group’s Grants for Good will help Getting Clean increase the frequency and capacity of their therapeutic soap-making workshops, allowing for more participants, as well as help them increase their community engagement through repair and conservation projects.
We are delighted to be able to keep supporting vulnerable new mums and their newborn babies across London with vital baby clothes and equipment. We are a tiny organisation, supporting women who don’t have any other avenues available, so donations like these really make a huge difference.
Oonagh Ryder
