A LERO is a movement of hope rooted in community, belonging, and the belief that recovery is not only possible but powerful. 

When someone in addiction or recovery sees people with similar experiences to them involved in a LERO - whether as participants, volunteers, staff, or its leaders, this can change belief in what is possible. 

Recovery is possible. Support is possible. New friendships, new connections, and new experiences are all possible. 

And LEROs can offer a different narrative than what is often reported in newspapers or online: we can recover and we can rebuild. 

LEROs don’t tell people what to do but instead, they walk alongside them, offering support without judgment, targets, or time limits.

LEROs create a “social contagion of hope”, a visible, local network of recovery that lifts everyone in its community. They make recovery aspirational and desirable, not hidden or stigmatised. They provide space for connection, purpose, and growth, not just for people in recovery, but for entire communities.

LEROs aren't bound by the limits of commissioned services or strict treatment models. They grow from what the local community needs. That might be:

• A place to be supported by peers, to be free to talk and where group members can support one another in their recovery. 

• A place to find out information or be signposted to services or areas of support in a range of challenges, such as finances, health, housing and wellbeing.

• Advocacy for people in recovery in government or service-level decision-making, giving a voice to people whose voices are most often not heard.

• A place to make new hobbies, which could include a range of things - from walking groups or exercise classes to art or craft activities to book clubs, to learning new skills, to sober social events and much much more. 

• Volunteering opportunities, building learning and skills which can support not only employment opportunities but that can build confidence and purpose

• Community litter picks that improve their area, bringing people together and building friendships and pride in communities.

• Supporting people in their communities, whether in recovery or not, who need help and support
  
  LEROs are flexible, human, and practical. They work alongside existing services – not in competition – and welcome all pathways to recovery. They don’t exclude based on rules or outcomes. They fill the gaps that no one else does, responding to what’s real, here and now.