Your Recovery, Your Community - Derbyshire
Your Recovery, Your Community - Derbyshire County.
This project, delivered by Recovery Connections and led by lived experience, aims to support communities to learn about and develop LEROs in Derbyshire County. Our approach is to support the expertise and knowledge of Derbyshire County Communities and amplify the voices of lived experience.
Together, we will develop a LERO Development Plan which will support future, existing and growing LEROs. Together, Derbyshire County can shape how this LERO support is designed, delivered and improved to support future or growing LEROs.
Why are we doing this project? Throughout 2025, we are working and running events with local existing and emerging LEROs, community members, and the people of Derbyshire County with lived and living experience to develop and create a co-produced LERO Development Plan. This plan will set out a shared vision, values, and clear steps for building a thriving, connected and inclusive recovery ecosystem across the county. This is a consultation and support project. We are not pushing one model, prescribing outcomes, or replacing local expertise. Our role is to raise awareness of the work and expertise of LEROs and lived experience, share tools, and support Derbyshire County's communities to grow their own recovery-led initiatives, shaped by local voices, local needs, and local strengths.
What is a LERO? LERO stands for Lived Experience Recovery Organisation. These organisations are groups, organisations, charities or community interest companies that are built and run by people with lived and living experiences of addiction and recovery. They are built on the principles of peer support, mutual aid, and community empowerment.
What is a LERO Development Plan? The aim is to set out a shared plan for how people with lived experience of recovery will lead, grow, and support recovery communities across Derbyshire into the future. This is co-produced, meaning it is a shared vision for change, and to plan how lived experience of recovery will lead, grow, and support recovery communities across Derbyshire into the future.
What is Recovery? Recovery is about more than just stopping drug or alcohol use - it’s about building a life that feels meaningful, healthy, and connected. Recovery looks different for everyone and can mean different things for people. For some, it may involve complete abstinence. For others, it may include reducing harm, finding safer ways to cope, or working toward stability and well-being over time. It’s a personal journey, and there are many ways people can recover, but no one has to walk it alone.
Recovery often means:
- Reconnecting with family, friends, or community
- Discovering purpose through work, volunteering, creativity or learning
- Gaining confidence, independence and a sense of hope
- Feeling part of something, not judged, but supported
Read more about our project at www.recoverycommunityderbyshire.co.uk
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This project is commissioned by Derbyshire County Council Public Health to support the growth of lived experience-led recovery organisations (LEROs) across Derbyshire. It is part of their wider commitment to strengthening community-led recovery, making recovery more visible, and supporting people with lived experience to lead positive change.