The Edge Café

General information

The journey of developing a ‘Recovery Hub’ for Cambridgeshire started as a vision over 2 years ago. We saw that there was a something missing, people who were leaving specialist treatment services didn't have a place to go that they could call their own, to support them to sustain long term recovery & prevent relapse. In Cambridgeshire we had successfully developed a valuable group of ‘recovery champions’, individuals with lived experience, to volunteer within the treatment system and wanted to capture the energy and enthusiasm of the peer network to help provide support to those who have left treatment but are struggling to adjust to life without the use of alcohol and drugs & to those who are seeking recovery.

The Edge will provide a central point, building a local recovery community and providing a hub of support both in terms of ‘friendship’ and providing a range of opportunities both socially & personally away from specialist services. This is a great opportunity for those in recovery to take ownership & develop a place of their own, including the café element, to meet the needs not only of individuals, but their families & also the wider community.

The Edge is independent of specialist services and registered as a social enterprise. We provide a safe and supportive space for those in recovery from drug/alcohol misuse to meet, volunteer, and work, developing lost confidence and increasing skills. The Edge is a visible, active, public facing demonstration of the possibility of recovery. The café will be run by people in recovery and those working on their recovery, sharing space with the local and regular customers, which will operate as part of the neighbourhood and as a community resource. The café is open to both the wider community & professionals to share skills, training, to host events for music, spoken word, art and IT access. The café will be a tangible place for those in recovery to give something back as well as to demonstrate the possibilities for recovery.

Our aim is to support each other in recovery from drug and alcohol misuse and promote recovery through our peers. We will provide support, encouragement & friendship, with everyone heading in the same direction. The café has been established as a Community Interest Company which is a form of social enterprise. The founding directors are individuals in recovery and representatives from the Inclusion treatment service and the DAAT team. Over time those that use the cafe will take more director positions on the board until they form the majority, if not all of the company directors within 3 years.