Partnerships with Open Road  

Open Road is a drug and alcohol charity that has been providing specialist recovery support to those within the Essex and Kent communities for over 30 years. Our mission is to empower a diverse range of individuals, families, and communities to lead healthy and more meaningful lives, free from addiction, offending behaviour and disadvantage to ensure healthier more happier lifestyles.

We provide easily accessible services to all, reducing barriers and including those who are most deprived, excluded and marginalised within society. Our services are tailored to those we support, treating them as individuals and supporting them with their recovery, and overall wellbeing.

Why businesses are important and how we support them

For many individuals who access addiction services, gaining employment is key to their recovery, wellbeing, and life opportunities. Being out of work can lead to wider health problems and socioeconomic issues for individual and their families. Yet unemployment and employee turnover remains high for people with drug and alcohol issues.

Being in paid work is an important goal for many people with addiction and mental health problems. It can lead to improved self-esteem, financial independence, greater social contact, and all-round improvement in wellbeing.

‘Partner with us – Shaping partnerships that makes a real difference to the lives of those living with addiction’

Wellbeing in the Workplace –

Our Wellbeing in the Workplace programme offers a range of services to business who recognise the importance of ‘wellbeing’ in their most valuable asset – their staff. Our programme is bespoke to your organisational needs and aims to strike a balance between supporting your staff and the operational / legal demands of your business. Including:

• Whole staff awareness
• Training for managers
• Individual treatment plans
• Policy, prevention, and health promotion workshops
• Drug testing services

The impact and risk of workplace hangovers and “intoxication” to your business – In June 2019, the Institute of Alcohol studies (IAS) published its “Financial Headache – The cost of workplace hangovers and intoxication to the UK Economy” report to highlight the prevalence and cost of lost productivity as a direct result of drinking.

• 42% of British based workers estimated to have attended work hungover or intoxicated.
• 9% of people with who have attended work hungover or intoxicated in the last 6 months
• 58% believe they are less productive when hungover at work.
• 20% reported feeling more stressed when working with a hangover
• 39% of those who reported working hungover, said they had done so on 3 or more occasions within the last 5 months
• 75,000 – 89,000 people in the UK who attend work with a hangover or who are intoxicated, costing the UK economy £1.2 – £1.4 billion *all stats correct at the time of the published report – June 2019. Source: IAS Financial Headache Report. June 2019

Individual Placement Support –

Our IPS programme is the most effective intervention for assisting individuals with addiction and mental health problems to find paid employment. Open Road is proud to be able to offer this internationally recognised service to those in need, working with both organisations with recruitment, and individuals

Using personalised and strength-based approach, the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) offers intensive, individually tailored support to help people to choose and find the right job, with ongoing support for the employer and employee to sustain the job placement for as long as possible, or to help the individual into a different role. IPS directly tackles the lack of integration of healthcare and employment services and the disconnection of different specialists by integrating employment specialists into health teams.

We are looking to expand our corporate partnerships and working with companies of all different sizes across Essex, Southend, and Kent.

Partnering with a trusted local charity that reaches the heart of local communities will allow your business to:

• develop your staff’s skills, including communication, teamwork, time-management and more
• attract, motivate, and retain staff
• increase brand awareness and strengthen your brand
• increase sales by associating new products and services with a good cause
• help integrate local communities with our brand and yours.
• Around 1 in 11 (9.4%) adults aged 16 to 59 had taken a drug in the last year. This equated to around 2 million people
• 27% of employers say that drug use is a problem at work
• 4% of adults are dependent on alcohol
• Up to 17 million working days are lost each year due to alcohol
• 60% of businesses have experienced problems due to staff drinking alcohol
• In 2018-19, in England, there were 7,376 hospital admissions for drug related mental and behavioural disorders

How to support

• Charity of the year
  • Choose us as your charity of the year – Partnering with Open Road will enable your business to be visible at the heart of your community. It will ensure your fundraising efforts can make a lasting difference to the individuals we support on a daily basis.
  • Choosing us as your official charity is a great way to:
    • Meet your organisation’s corporate social responsibility objectives
    • Boost staff morale and motivation, and have a positive impact on your organisation’s culture
    • Have fun in the workplace
  • Our Fundraising Team will work closely with you throughout the year, providing you with support to help you get the most from the partnership.

• Volunteer
  • Volunteering is a great way of giving back and we have many volunteering roles available within the organisation, including.
    • SOS Bus – supporting the night-time economy in either Chelmsford or Colchester with welfare support.
    • Appropriate Adult Service – Supporting young people and / or vulnerable adults within the criminal justice service
    • Recovery / Wellness centre – providing support within our recovery / wellness centres across Essex, Southend, and Medway
    • Fundraising events – helping the fundraising team with events and challenges throughout the year
    • Head office admin – providing the head office team in Colchester with much needed admin support
•  Donations
  • You can either make a one-off payment to Open Road or set up a monthly direct debit where your money will support the front-line services that we provide to those in need on a daily basis.

• Sponsorship
  • Tailored sponsorship agreements to suit your organisational needs.
  • Sponsorship is a great way to build your brand image and connect with new potential clients 

• Fundraise – events and challenges
  • Fundraising events and challenges are a great way to get colleges, friends and family involved in a cause that is close to your heart. If you have any ideas that you would like to be involved in them, please contact our fundraising team, we would love to hear from you.
  • We have a variety of different events scheduled into our calendar over the year, including
    • Recovery Walk
    • Quiz Nights
    • Charity Ball
    • Golf Day
    • Afternoon Tea

• Legacy
  • Where one journey ends another begins.
  • Writing a Will ensures that your wishes are carried out after you have gone. As well as making sure your loved ones are taken care of, you might also wish to remember others. Please consider Open Road and the support we will continue to give to future generations in need.
  • If you are unable to make a donation at the moment, leaving a gift in your Will is a wonderful way to support the work of open Road. Even a small gift can help us make a big difference to the lives of our clients on their recovery journey.
  • Because Open Road is a charity, any gift you make to us, in your lifetime or in your Will, may be eligible for tax relief. So, for every £100 gifted, Open Road will benefit by £125.
  • Different ways to remember Open Road in your Will:
    • A residual gift
    • A specific gift
    • A pecuniary gift