The Leeds charity using soap-making workshops to help addicts clean up

Report by Natalie Higgins

A charity is using soap-making workshops to fund community projects that help drug addicts to recover.

Leeds-based Getting Clean was formed in 2021 by volunteers with a drug or alcohol dependency. It provides peer-to-peer support by getting addicts involved in community projects.

Among its initiatives are soap-making sessions that attract 10 to 20 people a session.

Founder Chris Sylvester, who has battled addiction, said: "I kept seeing people coming back through services more and more traumatised so I thought coming in with a new approach and with what I'd learnt in my own recovery, I would be able to help others.

"We started out with community projects like litter picking, repairs and recycling, but we wanted to create a product which could fund those projects but also has value in what we do. That's how Soap with Hope was born."

Ross Briggs started drinking and taking drugs in his teens. He said the workshops, and the support from others, has helped him on his road to recovery.

"Addiction itself is very isolating and it can keep you locked in your own head," he said. "Having the activities and sessions like this, it gives me the chance to socialise with people. For me, it's all about building connections."

Money raised through selling the soap on stalls across Leeds is used to help fund projects carried out by Getting Clean.

The charity held a community clean-up in an area blighted by antisocial behaviour and drug misuse. Service users cleared the area of paraphernalia and rubbish.

Claire Terry, who lives on the estate, welcomed the move after experiencing problems in the area.

She said: "Me and my daughter don't go out after dark. Even during the day I keep the doors locked. With all the antisocial behaviour that's going on, I don't like to let her out at night because I'm scared for her."

For Chris and the charity, the projects are an opportunity to show that people with addictions can make a positive contribution.

"To see people coming in that are coming form a background of lived experience and giving back to the community is massive", he said.

"It helps people look past the antisocial aspects of addiction and challenges the stigma. We carry that message of hope in one big clean cycle."

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