Shrewsbury wins bid to host 2018 UK Recovery Walk

Shrewsbury has won the bid to host the 10th UK Recovery Walk in 2018.

The announcement was made over the last weekend (Saturday 29 July 2017) at this year’s host winners party in Blackpool.

Shropshire’s UK Recovery Walk campaign was launched to encourage residents and organisations across the county and the West Midlands to vote for Shrewsbury to be the host town for the event.

Shrewsbury was just one of two places in the UK who were bidding to be the host town for the walk in 2018.  The town received 75% of the public vote, beating stiff competition from the City of Bradford.

The UK Recovery Walk organised by national charity Faces and Voices of Recovery (FAVOR) UK, is an annual event that aims to celebrate recovery and freedom from drug and alcohol dependence. Held each September, as part of International Recovery Month, the walk draws thousands of people from all over the country to come together and provide hope and inspiration to those who are struggling to overcome their drug and alcohol misuse.

UK Recovery Walk 2018

There was high praise of Shropshire’s campaign and support from the community and partners from the Chief Executive of FavorUK.

Lee Chapman, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for health, adult social care and housing, said:

“This is fantastic news! I would like thank everyone for their support and help to bring this important national event to Shropshire. This is a great result for everyone involved.

“Hosting the UK Recovery Walk in Shrewsbury would provide an opportunity to highlight the achievements of the Shropshire recovery community, alongside the valuable, lifesaving work of our drug and alcohol treatment services.

“We are very keen to ensure this event is memorable for both Shrewsbury and the history of the walk.”

Annemarie Ward, Chief Executive Officer of FavorUK, added;

“Throughout September, thousands of people in the UK will be organising local events celebrating the fact that recovery from addiction to alcohol and other drugs is a lived reality in their lives.

“Faces & Voices of Recovery UK are delighted Shrewsbury has won the bid of hosting the largest of these events, The UK Recovery Walk. We look forward to working with the local people to organise this truly inspiring event.”

Shrewsbury’s Recovery Walk 2018 route will start and finish at The Quarry town park and highlight the town in the best possible way. The total route is 1.7 miles and takes around 35 minutes to complete from start to finish.

To view Shrewsbury’s Bid for the UK Recovery Walk 2018 go to http://www.facesandvoicesofrecoveryuk.org/vote-2018/ ‎

You can also view a film about the experience of those who have or going through recovery here https://vimeo.com/220287475

If you or someone you know is affected by or worried about alcohol and or drug use, call Shropshire Recovery Partnership on 01743 294700 or visit www.shropshirerecovery.com. 

Further information

Shrewsbury’s Bid for the UK Recovery Walk 2018 has been supported by the Shrewsbury Recovery Walk Steering group a partnership made up of representatives from:

• Shropshire Recovery Partnership
• Team Shrewsbury
• Shropshire Council
• Shrewsbury Town Council
• Public Health England
• Shrewsbury Business Improvement District.
• Shrewsbury Street Pastors
• West Mercia Police
• Shropshire Community Leisure Trust
• University Centre Shrewsbury

Each year FAVOR UK members guided by the bidding process choose one UK city or town to host the National Recovery Walk event.

Shropshire Council’s Cabinet agreed to back Shropshire drug and alcohol action team in bidding to host the UK Recovery Walk in June this year.

The focus of the UK Recovery Walk is a public education and outreach campaign that communicates by offering living proof of the reality of long-term addiction recovery. It also highlight the many pathways and styles of such recovery to the public, policymakers, the media and communities.

Additionally, hosting the walk would bring economic benefits to Shrewsbury through attracting around 5,000 participants to the town. Other opportunities include strengthening community engagement to develop community resilience and promoting the quality of the recovery services.