The quality Sheffield cafe where hundreds start their journey to leave addiction behind

As you step into the up-market coffee shop on Cumberland Street, just opposite the delivery entrance to the Moor market, you’d be surprised to learn that it’s also the starting point for hundreds of people in Sheffield recovering from addiction to alcohol or drugs.

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This is the ARC, the new base since July this year of Sheffield’s Recovery Community, set up by Sheffield Alcohol Support Service, now called Project 6, which was formerly based on Abbeydale Road for 47 years.

“We started the ARC with 16 volunteers and 4 staff members and have been funded by the lottery from the start”, says Manja Wolfram, Service Manager at the ARC.

“It is now mainly funded now by Sheffield City Council’s Drugs and Alcohol Co-ordination Team.

“We are now getting 30 to 50 people per month coming in for help, and the majority of those are self-referrals and we offer lots of recovery in the team - from 80 per cent of paid staff to 95 per cent of volunteers who themselves are in stable recovery. We also provide relapse prevention work to support people into long term recovery.

“If people contact us by phone, we aim to respond to them within 24 hours of making contact and try to offer an appointment within the same week, sometimes the same day - to use the ‘window of motivation’. It will include advice on clinical treatment and other services where needed”.

The walls of the café are peppered with posters for around 15 different group activities which run at the ARC over six days a week, such as art pottery, yoga, mindfulness, music and relapse prevention.

“We have a core of around 80 members who attend the ARC up to 150 times a week and we see lots of new faces, which great,” says Manja.

“Three-quarters of our groups are run by our volunteers and we could not function and offer this programme if it were not for people who want to step up and lead them.

“We also run monthly sober social evenings which often includes music, dancing and karaoke as well as sharing food.

“We have a lot of time for people and connection is key within the community because a lot of members initiate positive change.

“It’s impossible to deny that recovery is possible,” says Manja with a huge smile.

Leroy, 52, from Manor, Sheffield, credits the ARC and Project 6 with his eight years in recovery and now enjoys a sober life.

“I was in my late 20’s when I first started drinking problematically, up until then drinking had just been normal weekend fun but escalated after a series of emotionally difficult events,” he said.

“My mum died, my daughter almost died with meningitis at birth which then led to the breakdown of my relationship and pushed me closer to dependency and addiction.

“I was self-medicating, fixing my feelings with drink and drugs.

“I first attended SASS in 2006, but didn’t fully understand or embrace a life in recovery. Recovery is a journey, there’s no quick fix and I think for most people, you have to hit rock bottom before you get it.

“It’s like a maze and until you’ve found the way out you, keep getting lost.

“I’ve been with SASS/Project 6 now for over 18 years, as a service user and now as a volunteer and I’ve seen the organisation grow and become the amazing place it is.

“Without Project 6, I honestly don’t think I would be here today. Its helped me to put my life back together and I’ll be eternally grateful to everyone involved, all the, volunteers, staff, service users have all been part of my recovery journey, and I thank everyone.

“You don’t have to have reached crisis point to come and get help.”

In 2025, the ARC will add a mental health educational group to its offer including, an Introduction to ‘SMART’ which stands for stands for ‘Self-Management and Recovery Training’ for new members and they’re also working to set up a young person’s SMART’ group.

“This is because we have seen an increase in the number of young people, Ketamine users, and people with mental health issues, coming through the door,” says Manja.

“SMART involves peer support groups, CBT and behavioural therapy, which is a mix of exchanging with other, offering and getting advice and learning to aid your own recovery around motivation, cravings, managing thoughts, feelings and behaviours and maintaining a healthy lifestyle balance.

“All of the volunteers at the ARC are offered accredited training and ongoing support - we value safety and transparency, confidentiality and safeguarding for all and we never turn anyone away depending on their drug of choice and we always support people into long term recovery.

“We also run a ‘women only’ meeting, an over 50’s meeting, and we run a structured Recovery Growth Programme four times a year over two months and ‘Paying it Forward, which looks at Leadership for everyone.

“We supported Shipshape this year by renovating their back yard and raised over £1,000 for the Sheffield Children’s Hospital.”

The project is also starting to offer peer mentors in form of buddies to help with the first weeks of engagement and Recovery Coaches, which will be weekly recovery focussed one to one sessions over 3 months.

“We now have a hospital mentoring service with six workers supporting people in the community who are over 50 - all whom have had unplanned alcohol related hospital admissions.

“I'm really proud of the ARC, smiles Manja, and the work that has grown from it. It's a real testimony to people and good teamwork - and I see everyone as part of the community from people starting to access to gain support to people who are now employed.

Manja came to Sheffield in 2016, to relocate from Germany with her British partner Colin. She is a qualified social worker and substance misuse practitioner and started her career in substance misuse in Sheffield in 2009.

“I started as volunteer coordinator at the ARC when we first set up with funding in April 2011 and became Service Manager for Project 6 Sheffield in September 2022, says Manja.

“My aim now is to see everyone coming through the door as first and foremost a person and making them feel welcome. I think that is our real strength at Project 6 and it's an absolute privilege to be part of this community.

“We also support affected family members who are concerned about their family member’s drug or alcohol consumption.”

Project 6 can be contacted at The ARC Café, 24 Cumberland St, Sheffield City Centre, S1 4PT.

You can self-refer or be referred to the ARC, and they aim to get in touch with you within 24 hours of the referral. Call on 0114 258 7553 or email [email protected]

The ARC is open 9:30 am -5.00pm Monday to Friday, Saturday opening is 10.30am to 12pm for SMART Recovery Meeting.