Welcome to Ara’s Impact Report 2022/23.  It has been a year of growth and consolidation for Ara.  The impact of the Charity has been evident in all of its service sectors and we have made a huge contribution to housing Bristol’s homeless, providing support and treatment to those afflicted by alcohol and drug addiction, and helping individuals affected by problem gambling.

The Charity has impacted the lives of over 12,000 people and the geographic reach of our service covers Wales and the South West of England.  We are in the process of implementing community-based services to increase the availability of help and support to those that need it.  The purpose of our Charity is ‘Providing hope and better lives’.  Ara believes in delivering a high level of individual contact and care for our clients.  We have teams working in prisons, in recovery housing and even in schools where we increase awareness of potential life changing addictions.

Our housing teams have continued their work with Bristol’s homeless population, those released from prison and individuals with drug and alcohol addiction.  Ara wants to help build new and better futures for these clients.   I am especially proud of our ambitious change programmes that focus on skills training, employment opportunities and the rebuilding of social and family lives. Treatment is only part of the solution.  We want to give people the skills and ambitions to have and want a better life.

Our gambling services remain firmly within in the Country’s National Gambling Support Network.  The success of our 1:1 treatment services continues to grow in effectiveness.  We have successfully delivered our schools education and awareness programmes and in addition have implemented programmes to support the partners and others affected by another’s problem gambling.  Problem gambling is often hidden until the problems become overwhelming.  Ara continues to implement community-based programmes to encourage those with problems to reach out and seek help.

Ara’s executive team led by Graham England (CEO) and supported by Andrew Ridley, Robbie Thornhill and Helen Kovacs have focused on expanding, delivering and improving our client experiences.  This Impact Report highlights many of these experiences.  The quality of services is extremely good and I would like to credit our managers and staff for their achievements and contributions.  We have been innovative, effective and above all caring.  A big thank you to everyone who has helped this Charity have a lasting impact on somebody’s life.

As an organisation we are delighted by the positive and growing impact that we are having.  We are helping individuals change.  We are, however, not complacent about what we are doing and we to plan to continue to deliver even more impactful services in the years ahead.  I hope you enjoy reading the impact Report and get a feeling for the passion and commitment within this Charity. For real time updates and stories about our work, why not follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Tony Collins 

Chair of Trustees