Ben Donnelly

It was through tough, personal experience that Ben Donnelly realised there was a worrying gap in the market.

When he kicked his drug habit, Ben found there was a lack of a comprehensive service in the North West which offered accommodation, support and a full recovery programme which would help get his, and the lives of others, back on track. 

A year ago, Ben set up Elixir Foundations in Bootle, a social enterprise dedicated to helping drug addicts, ex-offenders and the long term unemployed rebuild their lives. 

The idea behind it is to give everyone who takes part the opportunity to take back control of their lives. 

Accredited Life Coaches are on hand to help the client overcome issues from the past and they also set out enjoyable and achievable targets for the future.  At the same time, people are encouraged to get back into work and can get involved in Elixir’s large-scale recycling project in which they collect UPVC windows, cardboard and metals that would otherwise be sent to landfill.  Once they process the material it is then sold on. 

The aim is to provide employment for 90 people in the first year of operation, and they are well on the way to achieving this. 

Elixir Foundations also offer abstinent homes (premises where drug use is forbidden) and in April this year, they received a £10,000 grant from Stepclever which they used to renovate their first house.  Up to six people could live in this high quality, comfortable accommodation which provides communal areas and individual living spaces and personal support.

Ben, who is Elixir’s Chief Executive, said: “Stepclever have been fantastic and we wouldn’t be where we are today without their help.

“The money was of course vital to us being able to offer the high quality service to our clients, but the guidance and support we received from the Stepclever team was invaluable.

“Setting up a social enterprise is never easy particularly in the current financial climate but we’ve had a great response from clients so far and I really believe we’ll really make a positive difference to those who are trying to change their lives for the better.”

For more information about Elixir Foundations, visit www.elixirfoundations.co.uk or call 0151 550 0062.