Funding ARC Fitness [3 Films, 6’59”]
Gary points out that ARC does not have government funding. They receive core funding from the National Lottery, but this does not cover all their costs. They have a lot of other funders. The funding landscape was one that Gary had to learn very quickly. ARC was very lucky that Learning Pool, a local company, came on board as a corporate partner early on.
However, ARC has to do a great deal of fundraising. For example, in 2021 they organised a No Shame campaign, during which Gary ran five marathons in five days wearing a weighted vest that represented ‘shame’. He fractured his leg on the second day but continued running for the rest of the challenge. Typical all or nothing, ‘Man must finish this mentality and not walk right for 18 months.’
ARC also runs a hybrid model, with free and paid-for programmes. Ideally, Gary wants to give ARC Fitness away to everybody, which you can imagine is so frustrating for the Board of Directors, as ARC needs to be around for the future. The money is just not there for ARC to be free for everybody. However, that’s a difficult situation, as the public perception of you can change when you are seen to charge people. This issue is a worrying one for Gary, particularly as people have been so helpful. ARC couldn’t have grown in the way that it has if the people of Derry and the north-west of Ireland hadn’t got behind it like they have. Gary will always strive to offer ARC for free to everyone, but there will be times when that cannot happen.
With the Northern Ireland government not sitting for nearly two years, there has been no way for services to be commissioned. Now the government is sitting again, many letters and emails have been sent from ARC. However, Gary doesn’t think that government funding is the answer to ARC’s longevity. He thinks he will always have to be creative when working in the funding landscape. Wulf points out that some recovery communities do get some government funding, but they risk the problem of government trying to change them into something they are not.
Gary believes that ARC wouldn’t look the same as it is if it had been working in the statutory sector. For him, the real interesting thing is that the importance of recovery and community-based recovery, and the negative impact of stigma, are now recorded within policies and strategies. And ARC works well in relation to these matters, in addition to their education and public outreach. Gary hopes that ARC can impact further by bringing other people and organisations along on their journey, without losing who they are fundamentally. Recovery taught him that he doesn’t always know the answer, and he must ask for help when needed. It taught him that collaboration is so important.
The field became very competitive in Northern Ireland, as it probably is in other parts of the UK. Services have worked in their own silo and haven’t wanted other organisations in the same area of expertise. Gary’s philosophy is different. ARC makes everything invitational. They bring everyone in as partners. So, when they organise a Recovery Walk, they bring in all the addiction recovery organisations. ‘I think we all need to work better together…. Being good at what you do is okay, but other people are good at what they do.’
Gary says they’ve had to do a lot of work to change the philosophy of those around them. It used to be, “You’re here with us, you can’t go there.” It always annoyed Gary when he heard that sort of stuff. So, for him, working with other organisations is really important.
‘And maybe that’s how we look at the funding landscape moving forward. Maybe it’s less about, “Look at how great we are,” and more like “Look at how wonderful the services in the north-west of Northern Ireland are.”’ Gary Rutherford is Founder and Strategic Coordinator of ARC Fitness in Derry~Londonderry, Northern Ireland. 31 March 2024.