Over the last 40 years, The Nelson Trust has supported thousands to achieve long-term recovery. Each year, it provides holistic, trauma-informed and gender-specific support to more than 5,000 individuals through its recovery services and women’s community centres.
Its residential rehabilitation services were founded in 1985 near Stroud, Gloucestershire, and now comprise four gender-responsive treatment centres for abstinence-based recovery. Over the years the trust has pioneered new approaches including its work with women, families and working with multiple unmet needs.
In 2004, Dr Stephanie Covington, a leading pioneer in addiction, trauma and recovery, opened The Nelson Trust’s women-only house, one of the first women-only treatment centres in the UK.
A NEW MODEL OF CARE
In 2021 the trust – in collaboration with Dr David Best and in co-production with clients – introduced a new model of care, merging a recovery capital and trauma-informed approach. A new four-stage programme was co-created, with expertise from current clients and alumni.
‘The COVID-19 pandemic offered us an unexpected opportunity to continue to innovate,’ said director of recovery, Kirsty Day. ‘Driven by our clients’ voices, we joined together to evolve our service delivery model to ensure that our offer is truly holistic. Under The Nelson Trust umbrella, from day one of abstinence through to long-term recovery – including employment opportunities – we provide support to ensure that recovery is achievable, and sustainable.’
The trust also has three move-on recovery houses and alongside this five community projects as part of its hub enterprises, including the Hub Academy, The Sober Parrot and The Clean Plate cafes, offering accredited training, peer-led initiatives and pathways to employment, alongside regular recovery social events.
‘We’ve learned that having a job and learning new skills can make a real difference in someone’s recovery journey,’ said Hub Academy lead Beanie Cooke. ‘Our Hub Enterprises create opportunities for people to gain hands-on experience and build confidence and skills, whether that’s through catering or other practical work. Volunteering is also a crucial part of this pathway, especially for those who are not yet employment ready. The aim is to create real opportunities for moving forward and helping that person take their next step.’
GENDER-RESPONSIVE RECOVERY
After years of paving the way for gender-responsive recovery support throughout the UK, with recognition from the Ministry of Justice, The Howard League for Penal Reform, and King’s College London, the trust developed services for women in the community, opening its first women’s centre in Gloucester in 2010. The focus was on providing holistic care to women leaving prison or in the community on probation orders as an alternative to custody.
Fast forward to 2025 and the trust now runs nine women’s centres across South West England and Wales. The centres work with women facing multiple unmet needs – substance use, trauma, violence and abuse, mental ill-health, housing instability, poverty, parental challenges and criminal justice involvement. Support is trauma-informed, gender-responsive and rooted in what works – a trusted therapeutic relationship, one-to-one sessions, group work, treatment interventions, counselling, therapies, peer support, and strong multi-agency working including co-location to provide a true ‘one-stop-shop’.
Their range of services include SWOP (Sex Work Outreach Project) police custody diversion (SHE – support, help, engage) Family Focus (family support and therapies) and specialist women’s treatment pathways.
‘What makes our women’s community service truly special is that it’s built around what women really need,’ said CEO Christina Line. ‘Our “one-stop-shop” centres provide a safe space where a woman can access the support she needs, with whatever she needs. With an onsite crèche and co-location of partner agencies, we reduce the frequency of women having to access multiple sites. We have teamed up with partners such as Turning Point and Via to combine our expertise to deliver specialist women’s community treatment.’
As part of its women’s centres and recovery services, The Nelson Trust works closely with multiple agencies to ensure clients can access a wide range of specialist support available in their communities.
A client from the Family Support Model programme, delivered in partnership with Via, said: ‘I feel more confident – having the support has really helped me. I love my daughter and I’m seeing my other children a lot more, and my recovery is going really well. I’ve been clean for over a year now – all I think about is the future and I can’t wait to watch my children grow up.’
EXPONENTIAL GROWTH
At the heart of The Nelson Trust’s work are the men and women it’s worked with over the last 40 years, whose experiences have driven the exponential growth and reach of their services.
After completing treatment at one of the residential houses and now volunteering at her local women’s centre, one woman shared that her experience of The Nelson Trust is ‘that it’s magic. The staff that work here, they’re just beautiful… and they show you there’s a new way of life out there for you. And today it makes me really emotional because I have so much hope and faith about the future. I’m able to do some volunteer work, so I’m giving back.’
Another woman spoke about the difference art psychotherapy made after years of isolation linked to trauma: ‘Art psychotherapy group became such a safe place where you knew it didn’t matter if you’re having a good day, a bad day, or just full of emotion. The group was safe so you could release it, and you knew it was left in that room – it was locked there, and you walked away, and no one judged you for it. And it just gives you confidence again that you’re a person.’
Eleanor Telfer is marketing and communications lead at the Nelson Trust
The Nelson Trust was established in 1985 in Brimscombe, near Stroud. The charity offers an abstinence-based, residential rehabilitation programme including therapeutic support and practical help with housing, education, training and employment.
The Nelson Trust opened a women-only residential service in 2004 to help women with multiple needs and established its award-winning Women’s Centre in Gloucester city centre in 2010. It now operates eight more women’s centres in Swindon, Bridgwater, Bristol, HMP Eastwood Park, Cardiff, Swansea, Newport and the Dyfed Powys area.
The centres are for women who experience multiple vulnerabilities and may be at risk of offending and provide immediate access to support and guidance on a variety of issues including family and relationships, housing, substance misuse, domestic violence, health, debt, employment and training. To find out more about The Nelson Trust visit nelsontrust.com
This article uses quotes from 40 Stories for 40 Years, a new series launched as The Nelson Trust marks its 40th anniversary – sharing voices from past and present clients and staff.
As well as hosting fundraising events throughout the year, the trust is organising a 40-year reunion for graduates of The Nelson Trust: nelsontrust.com/events/graduate-reunion