News

What happens when creativity, art, drama and social participation become part of recovery?

In Haringey, the answer can be found in a growing collection of murals, films and creative projects that promote recovery, challenge stigma and make mental health support services more visible to the local community. Through street art workshops and community activities, participants are using creativity to tell their stories, build connections and inspire change.

Leanne spent more than 15 years moving in and out of treatment services before becoming involved with the Haringey Harm Reduction Recovery Activation Service.

People don't know how to activate their recovery because we've been so disconnected from services and we've been let down. Then circumstances don't change and we stay the same. This is so different from other services where you go into the same room, with the same group of people, and it gets boring. This is so different. You're out in the community.

Reflecting on the service’s impact, she added:

A lot of people don't know their own potential until you take them out and they try something. It's about pushing someone past what they already know. 

Following her involvement with the service, Leanne became a volunteer peer support lead at The Hepatitis C Trust and has since been promoted to peer programme manager.

Partners from across healthcare, local government and the voluntary sector recently gathered in Wood Green to celebrate the service's impact and discuss its future development.

Commissioned by Haringey Council and delivered by NLFT, the service combines creativity, peer support and community engagement to reduce harm, strengthen recovery and help people shape the services they use.

Based at The Grove treatment service in Bruce Grove, the initiative is led by Harm Reduction Peer Experience Practitioner Ellie Froud. Her approach embeds creative activities within treatment services, helping people build confidence, develop skills and form meaningful social connections.

Rose Vinnicombe, Public Health Officer for Substance Use at Haringey Council, said:

Ellie and the co-production team have opened the door for many, creating opportunities in leadership, creativity, and service development. We have shared this work nationally and we will continue to echo the importance of this project, that creative participation is essential for activating recovery, improving health outcomes, and strengthening communities. The project makes people who live in Haringey feel proud. We want to celebrate this.

The service includes street art projects, peer mentoring, recovery workshops, co-produced films, community events, harm reduction education and recovery-focused activities. Together, these create multiple pathways into recovery, enabling people to engage in ways that reflect their interests and strengths.

A key principle behind the work is that recovery requires more than clinical support alone. People also need opportunities to reconnect with purpose, relationships and identity. Creative participation provides those opportunities through practical projects that allow people to contribute, learn and create something meaningful alongside others.

The service's street art events take place across Haringey, bringing residents together through creativity while connecting them with recovery groups and local support. Sessions take place in various parks and community venues, encouraging residents passing by to engage, learn about local recovery groups and access health services including blood borne virus testing, blood pressure checks, and take-home naloxone. Feedback shows participants consistently report improved wellbeing after taking part. 

Co-production sits at the heart of the service. Participants become active contributors through artwork, co-produced films, peer support, education and service development. Co-production has already produced two films, one on the Street Art Harm Reduction Service and another on Naloxone , an emergency medicine that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. A third film, titled In Your Hands, is currently in production, while a further project focusing on Buvidal, a long-acting treatment used to support people with opioid dependence, is in development.

Drawing on their own lived experiences, participants help create content that reflects real life, supports learning and raises awareness within local communities.

One attendee reflected on the importance of this approach:

The community element of recovery is crucial. Being a part of something is what we all want. When people go in and out of services, their value is as a recipient of services. With this approach, people feel like they're part of it. You can't expect someone to come in, engage, and then just go home and not feel isolated.

The service demonstrates how creativity, co-production and community participation can support recovery, reduce stigma and strengthen connections between services and local communities. Through partnership between NLFT, Haringey Council, public health teams, community organisations and people with lived experience, the model continues to evolve and inspire new approaches to recovery support.