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About us

Rusty Road 2 Recovery is a social enterprise CIC Asset Locked Company, whose primary objective is to help people with mental health issues back on the road to recovery through creative therapy workshops and classic car restoration.

 

Our vision for the future is to be a ‘hub’ for Sedgemoor… expanding our current range of facilities to further support people’s mental and physical health. We would like to be a one-stop-shop where everything you need for your mental health recovery is under one roof.

Formed in 2018 over a cup of tea in December 2018, Rusty is a fully working motor garage, complete with multiple creative workshops, teaching a wide range of skills, from airbrush art and painting to woodworking, copper sculpting, metal working, and classic car restoration... with more to come.

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Each, and every, person at Rusty has lived experience with mental health issues... so you will never feel the odd one out. We have an open-door policy, which means you can walk in off the street and find it a very relaxed and friendly place to be. 

If you are interested in seeing what we do, or just need to speak to someone about your mental health, please get in touch… pop in and meet us and have a cuppa and a chat. Tea / coffee is a driving force here at Rusty Road 2 Recovery!

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If you wish to attend any of our workshops, you can either self-refer via our website or giving us a call, or, if you have a carer / social worker / village agent etc, ask them to arrange a visit.

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We run our workshops by charging a daily fee. Prices can be obtained when you speak to a member of our team.  If you have limited means, depending on your circumstances, funding may be arranged through services such as Positive People.

Vince Davis's Story (Co-Founder)

“At the age of 14, I was diagnosed with schizophrenia and a personality disorder.  For many years I found life very difficult.  Gaining access to help and support was almost impossible due to the minimal mental health support that was around at that time. Over the past 30 plus years, I have been looking for practical help to enable me to meet my potential.

 

Eventually, I found a group of like-minded people that were running all-day sessions.  This was called the ‘Seed of Hope’.  This was unlike any other support… with an open-ended timescale, with an environment where I felt comfortable and settled.

As a result, this totally changed my life.  It gave me a sense of self-worth, whilst enabling me to consider how I could maybe contribute back into my community.  With the founder of the ‘Seed of Hope’, and two other friends, we set up the Rusty Road 2 Recovery. 

Just how ‘Seed of Hope’ had stood out as unique and different… I wanted Rusty to be the same. So we made it a place where people did not need a GP referral. You can simply self-refer. We find this alleviates pressure and reduces bureaucracy… speeding up access to recovery.

We also wanted Rusty to offer a range of workshops so there would be something of interest for everybody. To date, we offer sessions in airbrush art work, painting, fabrication, welding, copper and metal work sculpting, creative designing, woodworking, car restoration, team working and confidence building. We are looking at introducing basic IT skills and Photoshop sessions via out new Digital Studio.

Another major part of Rusty is our ‘Lunch Club’ where people can get a hot meal for £1.50. It means that everyone who attends, or even visits us here, can sit around our large dinner table for an affordable tasty meal. This has proven to be the vital heart of Rusty and has helped some many combat social isolation by eating, chatting and laughing with others.

My personal experience of mental health illnesses, together with my knowledge of support services, gives me a good foundation to help others.  Rusty has allowed me to put back in to my community and help others along their own road to recovery. With our team’s collective mental health experiences and joint motor trade experience of over 50 years, we are well placed to develop others.

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Rusty offers a truly unique approach to mental health support… and our open-door policy bypasses months of waiting times when you just need support and a chat NOW. We have the experience, patience and understanding to encourage people to really make a difference to their own lives… building your confidence and leading to a sense of meaning and purpose.

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Come on in and see for yourself. We look forward to meeting you.”

Here are a few of our mission statements that make up Rusty:

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  • We offer a safe place to talk, life skills, support with daily routines, inspiration, mindfulness and meditation in a relaxed atmosphere which is unlike most formal mental health therapy groups.

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  • We offer one to one support and understanding, leading to a sense of worth.  Clients are around like- minded people where they feel safe.  Relationships lead to friendships and peer support.

 

  • Our Personal Independent Garage offers affordable car repairs.

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  • Our community can be financially vulnerable; we bridge the gap others are unable to fulfill. 

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  • We facilitate conversations, particularly for men, in an informal setting, which is crucial.

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  • We will facilitate form completion, which can be stressful, inaccessible and bureaucratic.

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  • We provide mentoring, journeys assistance, interview preparation, supporting with interviews, introductions to other organisations, hobbies, interests, training and employment.

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  • We support all ages to access volunteering, education, employment or training as they can often feel rejected and require intense guidance.

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  • We will work with providers to support more people to access pre-employ-ability skills leading to trainee-ships/apprenticeships/employment. We currently offer work experience with a local college.

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